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The increase in NI will do little to address the social care crisis in England Standing on the steps of Downing Street after his 2019 election victory, Boris Johnson said he had a fix for social care, ready to go.  After the tax increase announcement last week, it is clear what he meant two years…

Or are we ready to look after our ageing parents ourselves? Much is being written about the UK’s current key worker staffing crisis, yet headlines focus on potential food shortages. While the sight of empty shelves grab attention, the staffing crisis in social care is being overlooked by mainstream media and the public at large.…

You Should – if You Want to Be Well Cared for in Your Old Age. Amidst positive Olympic headlines, more sobering BBC news reveals that a solid third of us will have at least two chronic health problems by our late forties (BMC Public Health.) Lead researcher Dr David Gondek warns: “It is not a good prospect…

Care Staff Must Have Better Pay to Stop The Exodus to Other Employers. Care home providers face a uniquely complex landscape, with ongoing regulatory and funding challenges now compounded by Covid-19, making the task of operating in Social Care anything but straightforward.  This year the growth of this staffing crisis has exacerbated the difficulties and The Croft is…

Today was COVID Vaccination Day at The Croft Residential Home, marking a major milestone in a tumultuous year at the home.  Like everyone else in the social care sector, we hope the arrival of the vaccines signals the beginning of the end of the worst of the challenges created by the COVID-19 virus.  But we…

As we enter the autumn and a second wave of COVID-19 advances across Devon and the wider South West, albeit slower than in the rest of the country, we have redoubled our efforts to keep our residents and staff safe through the winter and we are very grateful for all the external support we have been receiving.  We feel as…

We are very pleased to announce that, starting in August, The Croft will be a Real Living Wage employer for every role in our staff team. Since taking over in October 2018, Simon and David have been systematically moving pay rates at The Croft towards this milestone, in an effort to do their part to…

Care homes in the UK have been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some estimates suggest up to 40% of homes have experienced an outbreak.  Now, in many parts of the UK, care homes are struggling to fill their vacant beds and occupancy rates are tumbling (The Guardian, 26th May 2020).  It is not surprising that families are…