WF 24

Ymchwiliad i gynaliadwyedd y gweithlu iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol

Inquiry into the sustainability of the health and social care workforce

Ymateb gan: Gofal Canser Marie Curie

Response from: Marie Curie Cancer Care

Marie Curie response to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s inquiry into the sustainability of the health and social care workforce.

Marie Curie welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s inquiry into the sustainability of the health and social care workforce.

Introduction

In Marie Curie we believe that everyone should have the right to the palliative care they need.

Yet we know from our research that, even with all the care and support the NHS and its partners provide, 6,200 people across Wales who need palliative care miss out on it each year because their needs are not recognised and they are not referred on to the right services.¹

Marie Curie provides a range of services across of Wales, including:

· A nursing service providing hands on care day and night for people at the end of their lives in their own homes.

· A care home support service in west Wales enabling people to avoid being admitted to hospital who are living in supported accommodation.

· A Freephone advice line offering practical advice and support for patients and their loved ones.

· A 30 bed hospice providing in patient clinical care and day services for people across Cardiff and the Vale and beyond.

· A discharge liaison service in Velindre Trust which supports people returning to their own homes.

In providing all of these and the other services across Wales, Marie Curie makes a financial contribution (usually at least a matching one) out of its own charitable funds to augment those provided by NHS commissioning bodies.  All of the clinical services in Wales are provided as a result of being commissioned by the NHS in Wales and all of them would be regarded as core services by the public.

Workforce sustainability

We know from our research that too many people miss out on the care they need for a variety of factors. Marie Curie firmly believes that everyone who needs Palliative Care should have access to it. There are still too many people nearing the end of their lives not getting the palliative care they need¹. Seven out of 10 carers say people with a terminal illness do not get the care and support they need.

The health and social care sector as a whole recruits both British nationals and non-British nationals to make up its workforce.

The recent referendum on EU membership and the uncertainty over exactly what ‘Brexit’ has the potential to impact on the number of EU nationals seeking work in the health and care sector across the UK.

The health and social care workforce relies heavily on EU nationals not just for medical and clinical staff but also for vital support services including health care assistants.   

Estimates suggest that 1 in 10 NHS Doctors are from elsewhere in the EU and around 4% of nurses. This clearly shows both the attractiveness of working in the UK to non-British Nationals as well as the vital role they play in our health and care services.

The uncertainty over the UK’s exit strategy from the EU will inevitably be discussed at great length by both the National Assembly as a whole and also many individual committees. Marie Curie feels that this is an important topic and one that the committee should not shy away from discussing.

We feel this is something that could easily be over looked and would encourage the committee to consider how Wales can prepare itself for this in the future.

We would encourage the committee to consider a recommendation that LHBs should produce a forward plan identifying what contingency plans they have in place to manage any reduction in their current workforce and their forward recruitment plans across all roles.  LHBs should be required to consult with other healthcare providers such as the charitable and nursing home sectors to establish the implications beyond the NHS of substantial changes to the existing workforce and future recruitment environment.

We very much hope that the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee will consider these topics.

Marie Curie

September 2016

Simon Jones Director, Policy & Public Affairs Marie Curie Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale Bridgeman Road Penarth CF64 3YR XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Paul Harding Policy & Public Affairs Manager Marie Curie Marie Curie Hospice, Cardiff and the Vale Bridgeman Road Penarth CF64 3YR XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX