One of the sector’s most recognisable voice has delivered an uncompromising message to Government: stop the rhetoric and start providing proper funding for social care.
Nadra Ahmed CBE, Chair of the National Care Association and a nationally recognised leader with over four decades in the sector, has launched a blistering critique of Government policy, warning that the social care crisis is worsening despite official claims of increased investment.
Speaking on Newcross Healthcare’s Voices of Care podcast with host Suhail Mirza, Ahmed revealed the frustration that drove 250 care providers to take unprecedented action earlier this year.
“We had about 250 people on a call saying, we’ve got to do something. Let’s go march on Parliament,” Ahmed revealed, describing the moment that sparked the Providers Unite movement – a watershed moment for a sector that felt words were no longer enough.
The march represented thousands of care professionals taking their concerns directly to the Palace of Westminster in an unprecedented show of unity and defiance.
Ms Ahmed pulled no punches when addressing Government announcements about increased social care funding, declaring bluntly: “somebody is not telling us the truth” about whether additional funding is actually reaching frontline providers.
“When it comes to the frontline, the money is insufficient – that’s a polite way of saying it,” she stated. “The reality is, it’s not even a drop in the ocean. Someone in there is lying.”
At the heart of her message lies a fundamental challenge to how social care is perceived within the broader health and care system.
“The role of social care is not only to support the NHS, it is a role in its own right,” she declared. “They only invest in us to support the NHS.”
This struggle for recognition comes as the sector faces mounting pressures, with Ahmed highlighting that “we’re probably closer to about three quarters of a million people who can’t even be assessed for social care.”
Ms Ahmed emphasised the increasing complexity facing care homes and domiciliary providers: “We’re looking after people who have very complex healthcare needs. And the need is growing.”
This growing complexity coincides with what Ahmed describes as a disturbing abandonment of vulnerable people: “We’re allowing, enabling, by keeping quiet, vulnerable people to be ignored.”
The NCA Chair didn’t spare the Home Office from criticism over visa policy changes that have exacerbated workforce shortages in the sector.
“I would say the Home Office got it wrong when they first put the visas out, they should have been much more careful and we wouldn’t have had this problem,” Ahmed stated.
Despite the challenges, she remains passionate about the sector’s mission: “Why would you be a carer? You’d be a carer because it’s one of the most rewarding jobs that you’ll ever do.”
However, she insists systematic change is needed: “They need to have the professional ladder, they need to be paid properly. And all of that should be funded through government.”
When challenged about her outspoken approach, Ahmed was characteristically direct: “As soon as you raise your head above the parapet, there’s always somebody to shoot it down. So is it going to shut me up? Is it hell.”
Ms Ahmed’s message cuts through political rhetoric with stark clarity: “Social care has continued to deliver, continues to deliver and does not need fixing. It needs to be funded.” She added.
