Rachel Reeves praises levels of care and support at Leeds-based facility
Voyage Care welcomed the MP to one of its West Yorkshire residential care homes, where staff were celebrated for their ‘excellent work’ and given the opportunity to voice how services could run better.
Severe staff vacancy rates, no funds and little help from the government are just some of the tragedies the social care sector has had to face recently. However, in a bout of positive news, Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the exchequer, has recently visited Summerfield Court and praised the services there.
Summerfield Court is one of Voyage Care’s specialist brain injury rehabilitation services which is located in Bramley, Leeds. Upon her visit, Rachel met with residents and their support workers to discuss how the support provided enables them to live the life they want to.
Shaun Parker, CFO at Voyage Care, said: ‘We were very proud to welcome Ms Reeves to Summerfield Court and I know that all the team and those we support appreciated the opportunity to share their stories and discuss wider adult social care sector issues with her.
‘The people we support are at the centre of everything we do, which is why it is essential that the sector has the necessary support to ensure people are empowered to live their lives to the fullest.’
Among some of the topics discussed, staff spoke with pride about their Headway Approved Provider status – a voluntary, standards-based accreditation for NHS and independent care providers, which delivers support for individuals with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) at every stage of their care pathway.
In addition, members of staff at Summerfield also talked about the importance of improving funding for social care services across the northern city, citing how some people can face a postcode lottery.
Against this backdrop, Ms Reeves also met with Gary Franklin, service manager at Summerfield Court, who gave a tour of the home and discussed some of the wider issues affecting the sector.
Franklin cited a recent report from Skills for Care, which found that there are currently around 152,000 vacancies nationwide, with a turnover rate of 28.3%, showcasing that whilst Summerfield are doing a tremendous job, the adult care sector as a whole is still struggling.
To help tackle these issues, Voyage Care is creating a national register of social care workers to help raise their status, so these types of individuals are considered on pare with NHS staff.
Rachel Reeves, Leeds West MP, said: ‘It was a pleasure to visit Summerfield Court to see the excellent work that is taking place to enable individuals to have independence and autonomy over their lives.
‘We know that the adult social care sector is currently facing a number of challenges and by working together with organisations such as Voyage Care, we can try to tackle these and ensure everyone gets the support they need, regardless of their circumstances.’
Image: Gary Butterfield
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