By Katie Krohn
In early 2022 I was a new recruit to the Health and Social Care Finance team at Virgin Money, and happened upon Inside the Care Crisis one evening on BBC iPlayer.
In case you missed it, it is a two-part documentary featuring former Labour politician Ed Balls working in a Scarborough care home over two weeks during the pandemic.
Through word of mouth I had heard it was a relatively true to life account of some of the challenges facing social care, and so thought would be an interesting watch as I joined a 20-strong team actively lending into the sector.
The programme had been described in the media as “unflinching” and “warts and all”, which is was, but it has stayed with me for a myriad of reasons.
Therefore when an opportunity arose to do a short secondment as a care worker, I decided to put my name forward.
At the end of March I will be working in TLC’s newly-built care home in the South of England, Kailash Manor, which has been developed with funding from Virgin Money, registered for both elderly and dementia care.
Given I am not properly qualified or trained, I will be doing a fraction of what social care professionals do, but hopefully I will be able to contribute in a small way.
At Virgin Money, new recruits are often required to do secondments in our credit function, but not in care homes, so why am I doing this?
For one, as a specialist lending team, when I joined I felt a walk-the-walk culture with social care being personal to many in the team.
Team members have family in care, had done care secondments themselves, so the desire to improve my understanding, and the support from others in the team, were factors in me wanting to do it, and feeling I could do it.
Lastly, I am curious to see how it feels to be a care worker, instead of just reading about it and hearing it discussed at conferences.
I previously worked in hotel finance, and staff recruitment and retention as important, but in the social care sector, the discussion seems at a fever pitch. The issue is debated endlessly at conferences and webinars, but often to a dead end.
I remember a panel discussion where it was suggested care home workers should just post to Instagram more to solve the recruitment problem.
Before joining the team I was unaware of the significant pay gaps between the NHS and social care, unaware as to the level of burn out post the pandemic, and unaware of how ignored care workers often feel.
A year into the role, these themes are well-known and discussed. We all know intellectually the staffing challenges, and possible solutions.
In the end I am just hopeful I will have a different insight when I am actually face-to-face with the cornerstone of many of the businesses to which we lend, providing the care.
n Katie Krohn is a director of health and social care finance at Virgin Money.
