John Luckett, the care worker who made the invitation to Isle of Wight councillors to shadow a care worker for a day provides an update on the situation. In his own words. Ed
Just wanted to say a public “Thank You” through VB to all people who, thus far, have supported this idea, especially the four gentleman IW Councillors concerned, and am delighted to do my best to facilitate a meaningful placement for all of them.
This process is now well underway. If I am honest I did not expect anyone to reply, so the guys have given me a nice headache!
Humbled by messages of support
I am just an ordinary bloke who cares passionately about the welfare of Island people particularly those (of all ages) who are vulnerable and I have been deeply humbled by the messages of support I have received from a variety of sources.
It appears this issue has raised further issues about how our Council is run e.g voting practices etc and conduct of individual councillors too – some positive, some negative.
Sparked an engagement
Most importantly, it seems to have started to engage our somewhat silent Island population in discussions. I sincerely hope more people take more interest in local affairs and have their say and this campaign is the catalyst for some positive change to life on our Island.
Hopefully the Independent Councillors “State of the Island” Debate at Riverside next Saturday will be well supported.
Some clarifications
Due to the high level of interest expressed especially from senior people in IW Council I just wanted to clarify a few issues for VB readers and help people keep the focus on the issues, which in my opinion are:
- Vulnerable people (young and old) are not being adequately provided for, with this lack of provision putting them at risk of neglect, abuse and social isolation. To me it seems the IWC are failing local people but have the power and the resources to change things – underspend’s and reserves.
- Jobs and businesses are at risk. Any cutback in care provision will impact on jobs – did VB readers know there are 108 care providers (vast majority in private sector) registered with the Care Quality Commission on the Island, take an average of 25 people per provider (some homecare agencies employ over a hundred) and that is 2700 people employed in this sector – and that excludes St. Mary’s.
- That is a lot of jobs…and an awful lot of voters! Recognition of carer’s role is not valued as it should be at local and national level, reflected in pay and standard of qualifications and training required. NB This is not meant as a reflection on any training provider’s ability, more the way the qualifications eg the old NVQ were designed nationally.
No personal comments please
My personal view only – but as a favour I would ask VB readers to please refrain from posting any personal comments on this topic towards David Pugh; Davina Fiore or Cllr Mazillius … however tempting or amusing it may be!
I know – I’m no fun! I feel it takes away from the important issues at stake and keeping dignity and good manners (even if “opposition” don’t!) in this specific campaign is not just important to me but maintains the power of our arguments.
Hopefully this is the final word on Safeguarding and I am happy for ANYONE at County Hall to see this…
- Safeguarding is of paramount importance and all necessary arrangements will be dealt with between the Care Provider providing the placement and the individual Councillor.
- This will be done in accordance with Statutory requirements and Council rules as well as in conjunction with the Care Providers own Company Policies and Procedures.
- My role has been simply to match up Councillors with suitable care providers.
- It is as simple as that – it may take a bit of time but it will all be done right!
Meaningful learning experience for the Councillors
We are also choosing not to publish the names of the participating care providers – it isn’t important anyway. What is important is that it will be a meaningful learning experience for the Councillors enabling them to share their experiences with us and to make informed decisions on key issues such as Health and Social Care budget through practical experience and insight.
Thanks and best wishes
John Luckett
Image: PaoloCamera under CC BY 2.0
