10,000 migrants already this year
10,057 migrants have now crossed from France to the UK since January. This time last year the figure for small boat arrivals with people fleeing wars and persecution was 4,200. They are desperate for sanctuary as they navigate dangerous and busy shipping lanes in dinghies and kayaks. They have no entry visas or permission to gain entry, yet they continue to come. There are fears of it being a record-breaking year for migrant crossings despite crackdowns and threats of deportation to Rwanda. There is concern that the Government’s flagship plan to end the people-smuggling risks failure. A hundred Home Office notices of removal to Uganda have been sent to migrants, and 17 failed asylum seekers at a detention centre staged a five-day hunger strike over the policy. The first flight will leave on 14 June, but last-minute legal challenges are expected. Pray for God to give compassion to negotiators helping anxious refugees, and for the Holy Spirit to comfort and heal victims of war and human rights abuses.
Children in care abused
Vulnerable children in homes run by Calcot Services for Children were abused when staff should have prioritised safeguarding them. Calcot runs eight homes, four schools, and supported living accommodation, making huge profits of 36%, double that of other care providers. Calcot said profits were high because it built up investment. A dozen current and former employees said the company accepted high-risk children because they came with increased funding levels, but did not meet all their needs or keep them safe. Children were groomed for sex, given alcohol, or assaulted by staff. Allegations of child-on-child sexual abuse and suicide attempts were not reported to Ofsted despite an obligation to do so. Employees said vulnerable children were failed. Foster caring is often inappropriate for those who have suffered the worst abuse and neglect. Children's homes are the last resort for young people. Local councils no longer manage care for children with challenging behaviour. Most homes are now run by private companies.
Long Covid care
The Royal College of Nursing is urging the Government to increase investment in long Covid research after being warned that patients are suffering under a ‘postcode lottery’ in care. Some clinics treat long Covid as a physical condition, while other clinics treat it as psychological. Existing services are woefully inadequate to meet the level of demand. Latest official data estimates that two million people have said they are experiencing long Covid. There is also a need for nursing expertise to be used more widely to treat the condition. Where nursing staff are used in long Covid care, they play a pivotal role in managing patient care and treating chronic symptoms. Nursing staff see first-hand how life-limiting long Covid can be, especially when patients are suffering with complex chronic symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog. There are not enough specialist services to meet the growing demand, and the help patients get varies hugely across the country.
Working from home
UK workers are less keen to return to commuting than their European counterparts. Over a third of them still work from home. Hybrid working is the new normal. The new night for after work drinks is Wednesday, as many only visit the office on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays (sparking the acronym Twats). Boris Johnson told civil servants to ‘make sure everybody gets back to work’, but fewer than one in ten have returned to their desks five days a week. Some say staff are more productive in the office as it is harder to collaborate creatively with colleagues over video calls. Others say they get more done at home without distractions or gossiping, and there are big savings in money and time. Many say their work-life balance has improved, but research has found that working from home increases ‘burnout’ rates as people struggle to juggle their careers and family lives.
