Swindon care workers preparing to join national day of action

Tuesday 25 February will see a day of action in London to highlight the urgent funding crisis in social care.

Participants will include care providers, frontline workers, service users and supporters from across the country.
Among those attending will be a dedicated group from Swindon, including frontline carers, care providers, family members, and those who rely on care services, standing in solidarity to raise awareness of the financial pressures threatening care services.
The action is being led by Providers Unite, a national alliance of care providers advocating for sustainable funding, workforce investment, and urgent policy change.
Stephen Trowbridge MBE, CEO of Swindon's First City Nursing and Care, said: "This is not just about care providers—it’s about the entire system.
"If care services struggle, families suffer, local authorities and ICSs struggle, and the NHS will face even greater pressures."
Geraldine Smith, Director at Coate Water Care, said: "Care providers want to deliver the best possible support for those who rely on us.
"However, without urgent action to address this funding gap, services will become unsustainable. We are marching today because we care deeply about our residents, our staff, and the future of social care."
Providers Unite is a national alliance of care providers working together to challenge the longstanding funding shortfalls in social care. The group represents frontline carers, care organisations, and those who depend on care services, advocating for fair funding, better workforce support, and sustainable policies to protect care services for future generations.
The collective action supports local authorities and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), which have not received adequate funding to cover increased National Insurance costs and other rising expenses affecting care providers. 

Without provisions in council and ICS budgets, providers are struggling to absorb these financial pressures, putting essential care services at risk.
Across the country, many care providers are reassessing the viability of their contracts, with some forced to return them to councils and ICSs due to unsustainable financial pressures. This situation threatens the collapse of services, leaving vulnerable individuals without necessary care. 
Providers Unite says the NHS is also at risk, as reduced community care delays hospital discharges, adding further strain to already stretched resources.
The organisation says the social care crisis is not new, and successive Governments have failed to take decisive action. Instead, review after review has been conducted, yet no Government has committed to fixing the deep-rooted issues within the system.
Local authorities and Integrated Care Systems have faced years of funding cuts and austerity, making it increasingly difficult to provide the care and support that communities desperately need. 
The Government has now promised yet another review, led by Baroness Casey, but her findings won’t be published until 2028—just before the next General Election. 
Providers Unite says this delays action once again, leaving thousands of vulnerable people in limbo and pushing the crisis further down the road.
In addition to the London demonstration, Swindon will host a local event for those who use care services but are unable to travel to London, ensuring they can still be part of the Day of Action while celebrating social care. 
This event will bring together people who use care services, family members, frontline care workers, and members of the public to acknowledge the crucial role of social care workers while highlighting the growing financial challenges facing the sector.
For more information about the local day of action, people can contact First City on 01793 434222 and ask for Kay Chandler.