I was delighted to be awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for “services to social care” and was happy to accept the honour on behalf of the sector and Social Care Wales.
I’ve been Chief Executive of Social Care Wales since 2016, helping establish the organisation, which launched in 2017, building on the firm foundations of the Care Council for Wales.
I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with the social care sector since the early 1990s when I drafted the social care chapter for the Gwent Health Authority’s strategic plan.
My experience of being an unpaid carer for my husband who developed MS early in our marriage gave me an intimate view of the role NHS and social care professionals play in caring and supporting us at our most vulnerable times.
After several roles, which traversed the NHS and local government, I eventually focused on working in social care and housing.
These personal and professional experiences have shown me the invaluable role that social care professionals play in empowering, supporting and safeguarding children, young people and adults in every corner of Wales.
It’s been good to see the status and professionalism of social care workers raised by their registration with us and Welsh Government’s commitment to the Real Living Wage, as well as the ambition to develop a national care service.
For me, social care is a need, just like medical, nursing or therapeutic care, and I’m often frustrated by the limited media attention paid to social care, in comparison to NHS waiting lists. There are also waiting lists in social care, which means vulnerable people are waiting for support.
All the evidence from reliable academic sources sets out the need for investment in good quality social care to help keep more people independent and out of hospital. With easy access to social care, people can be discharged more quickly and safely after a hospital spell.
In Wales, there’s been a steady increase in the number of children being accommodated or looked after by the state, where there’s risk of neglect or harm. The impact of poverty has played its part in families struggling to prioritise their children’s needs.
We know some preventive services have been reduced because of budget cuts. Despite this, some local authorities are seeing positive results through strong and consistent leadership and a longer-term approach to investment in support to families.
It’s been wonderful, over the years, to see social care professionals helping people improve their lives by: befriending to reduce loneliness, providing personal care to ensure dignity and respect, actively supporting them to learn, earn and socialise, and safeguarding those who need protection.
Unpaid carers are the backbone of our communities, providing more care and support than the NHS and social care together. Without them, our loved ones would be neglected or at risk of losing their dignity and independence.
This is my last column for the Western Mail because I’m retiring later this month after more than 32 years in the public sector. So, in reflecting on my career, I pay tribute to the social care sector, the paid and unpaid workforce, their managers and leaders.
I also pay tribute to the staff and Board at Social Care Wales, to Welsh Government colleagues and to my partners across the UK.
Lastly, I wish Sarah McCarty, the incoming Chief Executive, the very best of luck and I know she’ll be successful and take the organisation onto even better things.
It really has been a privilege and I know my success is a result of brilliant people supporting me in my endeavours.