A NORTH Yorkshire care provider, who allowed a film crew free access to two of his homes, hopes the resulting ‘warts and all’ documentary will spark urgent action on the social care crisis.
Mike Padgham allowed a crew into his Saint Cecilia’s nursing and care homes in Scarborough as part of a two-part BBC Two documentary fronted by ex-politician Ed Balls on the challenges facing the social care sector.
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Now Mr Padgham hopes the programmes, ‘Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls’, to be broadcast next month, will spark a public reaction and force the Government to tackle the under-funding and staffing crisis in the care sector.
Saint Cecilia’s Care Group managing director, Mr Padgham, said: “The result is an unflinching, two-part documentary that shows, warts and all the challenges facing social care at the moment.
“It shows a sector that has been chronically under-funded for a generation and that is facing an existential staffing crisis.
“It poses the question: what value do we place on the care of our oldest and most vulnerable? It challenges the Government over what it plans for social care and we hope it sparks it into taking action.”
Saint Cecilia's Care Home in Scarborough Picture: Google
The crew filmed in the Scarborough homes in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions during the summer.
Mr Padgham said he was pleased to take part.
“I am grateful to our residents, their relatives and our staff for agreeing to take part in the documentary," he said.
"Doing things like this does bring with it risk but we wanted to show the blood, sweat and tears that is shed to provide care in 2021.
“We did so to show people a snapshot of the situation.
"We were very careful; everyone gave consent and all the crew were tested and wore full PPE.
“Care providers are working extremely hard to provide the best possible care in a sector that has seen more than £8bn cut from funding since 2010.
"Some 1.5m people are living without the care they need and we have 120,000 staff vacancies across the country.
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"Things are only going to get worse.
“The staffing crisis has been exacerbated by Brexit robbing the sector of overseas job applicants and people finding other, less stressful and better paid work elsewhere.
“We also fear a further 40,000 vacancies will arise if the Government presses on with its “no jab, no job” policy across the care sector from next month.
“The million people receiving care at home and in residential homes, the 1.5m who can’t get the care they need and our amazing staff all deserve better.
“If Ed Balls and the documentary can help get the crisis in social care higher up the political agenda and bring about some positive change, it will have been well worth it.”
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