It happened again. This week we saw the Bank of England revise the growth forecasts. It appears that the UK is on course for a decade of slow growth and wage stagnation. While the rest of the world flourishes, we will be left stranded on the edge of Europe, reminiscing about the good old days. Our geriatric economy will be unable to support an ageing population, with their spiralling health and social care needs. Efforts to recruit skilled workers from abroad will be useless, due our perceived hatred of foreigners and devalued pound. Astonishingly, the current political narrative seems to view this as collateral damage. A price worth paying to be free from the tyranny of the European Union.
We are about to enter the economic wilderness. Cuts will bite harder than ever, squeezing already stretched public services to breaking point. I live with the constant fear of my care package being shrunk to it's bare bones. The care industry has a chronic problem with staff retention. The maximum lifespan of a carer is 2 years, if you're lucky. The vast majority of carers are economic migrants, who travel here because they cannot find work in their country of origin. With the cessation of free movement after March 2019, it will become impossible to fill all the vacant posts in the care professions.
Surely there are plenty of British people who want jobs? Unfortunately not. The care profession has had an image problem for years. People wrongly believe that care is purely physical, just a simple matter of cleaning up urine and giving an elderly woman a cup of tea. Nothing could be further from the truth. Care can be hugely rewarding. You are are enabling someone to live life on their terms, regardless of any challenges they may face.
The spectre of Brexit looms over us all. I hope we can weather this almighty storm.
See you next week,
John xx
Comments
Post a Comment