The Disability Society supported the workers from the disability services at their demonstration outside the Dr Giraldi Home. Concerns about major staff reshuffles resulting in a serious lack of continuity of care was expressed by the Society and Unite the Union. Disappointingly Panorama did not attend to report on the situation and GBC News failed to mention the attendance or press release from the Society. Here is the Society’s statement in full:
“Today having met with Unite the Disability Society is concerned that the Care Agency persists in its failure to comprehend the vital importance of continuity of care. Despite meeting regularly with the Care Agency to discuss issues within the disability services no mention has ever been made of the attempt to move staff in such a catastrophic manner. The Society is sure that disability experts, management and staff on the ground have expressed their concerns over the detrimental effect on the wellbeing of service users such a disruption will have. In 2014 the Society took up the issue of rolling contracts of several staff members in the disability service. We worked closely with Fabian Picardo on this issue and an outcome that was beneficial to the most important people, the service user, was achieved. It appears that financial motives and the use of a majority of agency staff on zero hour contracts is how the Care Agency now wishes to run the disability services. This as we all know and have seen before will lead to a regular turnover of staff and could be seen as completely unethical. The Disability Society and its members will not accept the Care Agency’s apparent attempt to railroad staff and service users into a situation that could, and has been proven, to be dangerous and not in the best interests of the most important people – the service users themselves.”
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