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Labours of Love: The Crisis of Care

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The fact that books like this are relatively under-exposed relative to obvious comparators (see the huge numbers of books by surgeons, therapists etc) tells its own story in that respect. Without them we can not thrive as individuals and as a nation, we risk having to give up work when those who depend on us cannot find the care they need and our NHS and national prosperity, underpinned by social care, will not survive.

She shows that care is ubiquitous and largely invisible, and she raises vital questions about the place and value of care in British society. Immigration has filled labour gaps, but in the aftermath of Brexit (and the COVID-19 pandemic) many sources of migrant workers have dried up. Thus, while Bunting applauds social democracy, and notes the ambitious commitment of the Labour Party's 2019 manifesto to a National Care Service, there is no mention of socialism in her text. The result, Bunting argues, is that the complexity of care work (it’s emotional, unpredictable and communicative aspects) are flattened into a deterministic, static set of tasks that are to be optimally delivered to meet the consumer’s (recipient’s) desires.Humane, perceptive, honest, compassionate, wide-ranging, and erudite, it is a profound inquiry into the most important social issue of our time. We are very proud and committed to our model of care,” he says, “and feel it is not well understood. I read a lot of books but I don't always find ones that have been so effective in enabling me to change and develop my understanding of an issue. Bunting captures the commitment of many care workers who, while knowing themselves demeaned as ‘just’ carers, suggest to her: ‘I am not bothered. Her own attitudes to motherhood, she suggests, drew on ‘a template buried in memories of being mothered myself’ (46).

Nurses are aware that they are involved in a performance but know the giving of care must never appear routine. This book made me feel alternately happy and sad - the idea of 'care' is bandied about so lightly as if it is easy to do, but Bunting makes clear that it is absolutely a skilled and technical job - just one that is undervalued and easy to misunderstand. In one chapter, Bunting arrives at the offices of a voluntary-sector organization which supports families with a disabled child. Convenience” and “availability” become the mantras; GP surgeries, open seven days a week, are now a “service industry”.It is slow paced – unsurprisingly considering the scope and wight of the material – but still gripping. Indeed, increasingly, even rudimentary caring interactions are shrinking, with carers’ time clipped so tightly that even eye contact, let alone a cup of tea, must be avoided. Often working alone and supporting people at their most vulnerable (including at the end of their lives) all those involved in care in social care are not just crucial to everyday life but symbolise the kind of nation we want to be.

Social care is rewarding, it is fun, it has wonderful career opportunities for those who love the work.

We do our best to select used books that are in fantastic condition, however there may be some defects on the cover or pages. One social worker Bunting speaks with describes the trauma endured when cutting support desperate families rely on, leading him to have a breakdown and retrain in another field. While women’s employment rates within Britain are at a record peak of 78 per cent (our cheap and flexible labour welcomed by employers), investment in care remains meagre. Bunting pays particular attention to the profession of nursing where many of her concerns are brought into stark relief. As we face a second wave of Covid-19, there are more proposals for reinvestment in the care economy, for the redesign of welfare, for collective solutions that might revalue jobs in care.

Bunting’s book reveals a grim pattern: inadequate funding means inadequate staffing means inadequate care, sparking scandals such as the neglect that killed hundreds at a Mid Staffordshire hospital in the 2000s – which in turn ushers in well-meaning but burdensome bureaucracy.Horrifying, but deeply important, Labours of Love encourages the reader to reflect on what care means to them in broader terms than simply “who will look after me when I am old”. Yet “elder care” remains a source of rich pickings in the private sector, apparently recession-proof, especially for overseas investors. Whether in surgeries or hospitals, she finds that underfunding and bureaucratic surveillance leaves doctors and nurses vastly overworked, doing as much form-filling as patient care, leading to burnout, staff losses and recruitment failures.

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