The crisis in care is not a new topic and the pandemic certainly brought its own problems. But there are other causes that the government have overlooked in their ‘Made with Care campaign’.

As we see it, the inability to recruit reliable Personal Assistants (PAs) has three primary causes:

1. The role of a Personal Assistant is not widely understood

The role of a PA differs to that of a carer in a traditional sense. PAs enable disabled people to live independent and fulfilling lives. Its not just personal care. They enable individuals to go to work, to run a business of their own, to go on holiday and take part in sports, to have hobbies and a social life.

2. The rates of pay are too low

The budget allocated to a ‘care package’ funding is only enough to offer a low hourly rate which is insufficient to attract potential PAs. As such, prospective PAs will earn much more through other similar roles such as house cleaning or dog walking, for example.

3. New laws post Brexit prevent disabled individuals from employing PAs from abroad

As you can see on the government website here, care workers can apply for a Health and Care worker visa. However, if you are an individual using direct payments to fund your Personal Assistant’s hours, you are not considered an eligible employer so you can not apply to be a sponsor for a visa application.

How you can get involved

There are several ways you can get involved in supporting our work on this campaign. To find out more, or if you’d like to get more involved, please email our Advocacy Lead, Portia Thorman: portia.thorman@smauk.org.uk

• Share your PA pictures and stories on social media and use the hashtag #ItsNotJustCare
• PA crisis template letter to an MP final draft, copy in office@smauk.org.uk so we know who is helping to further the cause
• Get crafting for Pathfinders: email sarah.rose@pathfindersalliance.org.uk to receive an information pack
• Share all your endeavours with us via email office@smauk.org.uk and tag us in all your social media PA antics!