Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls

Episode
Episode One
Broadcast Info
2021 (59 mins)
Description
In this first episode, Ed sets off to find out what life is really like on the front line for those who work in elderly social care and the people they serve. Ed goes to live and work in St Cecilia’s in Scarborough, a typical family-run mid-sized business. This documentary is personal for Ed. For many years his Mum has had dementia and for the last three has been in a care home; he also feels guilty that when he was in Government, he failed to tackle the care sector crisis. His exploration is timely. After a decade where £8 billion of cuts have been made to care spending, the pandemic dealt a blow which left the sector on its knees. With the Government promising to raise money for health and social care through a National Insurance rise, Ed wants to find out from the people on the ground what the biggest issues are. Ed arrives at St Cecilia’s and is given on-the-spot training, experiencing what the residents feel like when they receive personal care - being hoisted, being fed, having your teeth cleaned, and shadows carer, Alison. Under her careful watch Ed starts his shift, washing and dressing 88-year-old Phyllis and getting Theresa up and out of bed using a hoist. He quickly realises that the work is intense and much harder than expected as it’s both physically and emotionally draining. Things get even tougher when he watches Alison attempt to administer personal care to Frank, who, suffering from dementia, confused and scared, grips her too hard causing her pain. At the end of the shift Ed talks to Alison. He finds that she, like so many carers, loves her work, but feels undervalued and starts to understand why more than 100,000 workers left the sector the year before the pandemic hit. A new day at St Cecilia’s and Ed learns at the morning handover that Frank has been falling out of bed. Head nurse Simon explains to him that Frank was receiving one-to-one round-the-clock attention but that has now stopped. When Frank’s niece Jenny arrives, Ed takes the opportunity to understand Frank’s social care history. Jenny has spent more than £500,000 on care for Frank and her aunt (now deceased); and now all the money has run out she can’t afford the extra one-on-one care she believes Frank needs. Over the course of his visit Ed becomes increasingly impressed by the lengths staff go to keep the residents safe, entertained and happy. But like many care homes across the country, St Cecilia’s is on the brink of bankruptcy. Ed is shocked at the possibility a home like St Cecilia’s could close, with all the upheaval it would mean for residents and staff. And it’s a situation being replicated across the UK. Due to Covid, Ed hasn’t seen his Mum for over a year but at last gets the opportunity to visit her in her home, along with his sister, Jo. It’s an emotional moment for him and makes his return to his work at St Cecilia even more poignant as he visits their specialist dementia wing. Here he meets a range of residents. Wendy suffers from vascular dementia and has trouble with her speech; Lorna thinks she is on holiday and often asks for the car to be brought round so she can drive home; Kath has Alzheimer’s and suffers from a fear which almost paralyses her. But Ed is also astonished to discover a young workforce, not least Cameron who is only 19. Ed shadows Cameron - they wash and change Kath - and he is amazed by his care and patience. He learns though, that for Cameron, this is only a temporary job; he has ambitions to become a paramedic, and feels caring can’t compete - the NHS offers better pay and a proper career
structure for people to progress. At the end of his stay Ed has found a sector with an underpaid and demoralised workforce; people navigating a hugely complex system, paying
huge amounts; and care homes with finances on a knife edge, now struggling to survive.
Genre
Medicine; Social Work; Health & Social Care; Mental Health

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/240489 (Accessed 08 Jan 2025)