Dear Paul Dennett,
We are Salford's care workers, residents, service users, their families and supporters. We, the undersigned, are calling on you, if elected, to bring Salford's Homecare contracts into public ownership within your next mayoral term.
It is clear to us that the current model of private homecare delivery isn't working. Workers are routinely driven out of the sector by providers who prioritise profit over the care they provide. Those that stay face low pay, unpaid travel time, casualisation, inadequate training and pressure to clip calls.
Inevitably service users suffer too and are deprived of the quality of care, stability and dignity they deserve. They face a revolving door of private care providers chasing profit margins, reducing visit times, skimping on training costs and declining unprofitable clients. The council is increasingly forced to intervene to micromanage the behaviour of bad providers.
It is the people of Salford that suffer, as private providers extract public funds from the city, the financial and physical health of Salford citizens pays the price.
In 2021 you committed to the formation of an 'Insourcing Commission' to consider the insourcing of Salford Council's contracts with external providers. Alongside care workers and UNISON, their union, we have made good progress on that journey. However, workers and their service users can't wait any longer and now is the time for action. Will you commit that by the end of your mayoral term in 2028 you will have done everything in your power to insource Homecare in Salford?
Signed,
