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Politics Weekly UK

A day on the frontline of England’s social care crisis – Politics Weekly UK

Politics Weekly UK

The Guardian

News, Politics

4.11.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

An ageing population, a funding squeeze and a recruitment crisis have taken England’s adult social care system to breaking point. This week, John Harris is in Greater Manchester to find out what a day in the life of a care worker looks like, and whether it is too late to save this vital service. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:11.9

We're on the roof of a Tesco Extra store in Lincoln.

0:14.6

We've got Lincoln Cathedral and then a sea of solar panels everywhere you look.

0:19.3

What are these doing?

0:20.8

So the solar panels are actually powering 20%

0:23.6

off the store that we're standing on top of.

0:26.3

Tesco aims to be net zero

0:27.9

across its own operations by 2035.

0:30.9

To find out how it plans to get there,

0:32.9

visit TheGuardian.com forward slash Tesco sustainability.

0:36.6

This message was paid for by Tesco.

0:42.7

England's adult social care system is on the brink. An aging population, a massive funding

0:51.8

squeeze and a recruitment crisis have all left this essential

0:55.2

service at breaking point.

0:58.6

Social care sector will break and will maybe sustain for a matter of months before people

1:04.3

close down and there will be no social care.

1:06.8

This week we're on the road in Greater Manchester to get an idea of what a day in the life of a care worker looks like and look at the fragile state of adult social care.

1:16.6

People do not want to go to work for £12 an hour and do the job that we're doing when you can go to Tesco and get exactly the same.

1:24.3

For years and years, governments have postponed and ignored the need for serious reform.

1:29.7

And given that Labor now seems focused on the benefit system and an NHS shake-up,

1:34.4

a sustainable future for social care looks more distant than ever.

1:38.5

Ahead of Rachel Reeve's spring financial statement next week,

...

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