Bavaria’s Minister of State for Health and Care, Klaus Holetschek, has criticized the way in which Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) deals with the office of authorized caregivers. He did not understand that this position had been “downgraded” and that the new authorized representative Claudia Moll (SPD) could no longer act in the rank of State Secretary, the CSU politician told the Tagesspiegel Background Health & E-Health. “At least that should have been left.” But even more is desirable: Because maintenance is “one of the central challenges of this legislature and the next few decades” and is becoming more and more important, the new agent should “take on her new office from the Federal Chancellery” said the minister. “That would be an even stronger and correct sign.”
The German Nursing Council also expressed its irritation. It is “a little strange that in times of recognition of the systemically relevant professions, a position that nursing care in Germany is supposed to help shape obviously loses its content and function,” said President Christine Vogler of the Tagesspiegel Background. However, Lauterbach’s plans and those of his ministry are not yet known. “Since the role of the care council should be strengthened according to the coalition agreement, there may be” considerations elsewhere that create more far-reaching possibilities “. She would like to discuss this with the minister, said Vogler. “Unfortunately, we have not yet managed to get an appointment.”
With the rank of State Secretary for eight years – and now suddenly not anymore
The federal government’s authorized caregivers have been able to act in the rank of State Secretary for two legislative periods. The political upgrading of the office eight years ago was not only subject-related. The then Chancellor and CDU leader Angela Merkel had also managed to bring the social expert Karl-Josef Laumann from Düsseldorf to Berlin and thus to end his wrangling with Armin Laschet at the head of the North Rhine-Westphalian CDU. Laumann then had three offices: patient representative, authorized nursing officer and state secretary. And also for his successor, Andreas Westerfellhaus, as authorized representative, the rank of State Secretary was retained.
Moll herself emphasized that she wanted to work for better working conditions and wages. Care must finally get the appreciation it deserves. Nursing staff should feel this in their daily work and also on the pay slip. In addition, advisory services are to be further developed so that those in need of care can organize their care in a way that suits their life.
The new authorized care representative was alarmed by the results of an analysis by the Bertelsmann Foundation on the lack of transparency in the quality of care. “The fact that important information on the quality of care facilities for people in need of care and their relatives is only available in a few federal states is an intolerable situation,” said the SPD politician Countries showed that it was possible.
