Pete_London
Inactive User
An investigation by the consumer magazine Which? has exposed what it says are “shocking” examples of poor home care of vulnerable people, suggesting a system that is at breaking point.
Which? found cases of missed visits, food left out of reach, medication not given and people being left in soiled beds. It concluded too many faced a "constant battle" to just get the basic help.
Which? asked 30 older people to keep diaries during one week in January this year. These diaries showed a distressed older lady left in the dark, unable to see her food or drink, a man's vital diabetic medication forgotten and rushing careworkers.
Local authority and NHS commissioning managers told the magazine’s investigators of the huge pressure to make savings and the difficulty in not compromising on service delivery. Home care managers spoke of tightening margins and the struggle to maintain a quality service, while careworkers described bearing the brunt of increased responsibilities and low pay.
The magazine’s panel of experts analysed the diaries alongside a survey of 926 subscribers who voiced concerned that, as people are living at home with increasingly complex care needs, safety is being jeopardised by poorly managed care.
However, they did also see some excellent care, showing how it can be done. In many cases, respondents' diaries showed that a good service was only received after making complaints.
One daughter said that improvement came after 'continuous phone calls' and a 'constant battle' with the agency. But many receiving care are reluctant or afraid to complain. One survey respondent said: “My mother wouldn't hear of me complaining because she was frightened. Another daughter said: 'They [the agency] missed a day just after Christmas. They incorrectly entered into the database the days we didn't need care. I covered, but Mum didn't contact me until early evening by which time she needed a lot of cleaning up.'
The Which? survey showed that 47% of respondents reported a missed visit in the past six months, and 62% of these were not warned in advance.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd says: “The Government can no longer claim to be shocked as report after report highlights the pitiful state of care for older people.
“If they are serious about ensuring vulnerable people are treated with dignity, then we must see real action because every day they delay is another day older people risk being neglected.”
The UK Home Care Association, which represents care agencies, said its members were increasingly under pressure to cut the length of visits by councils wanting to save money.
It said government and local councils must place the needs of elderly and disabled people at the forefront in the current economic climate, to avoid the sort of concerns raised by Which?
Councillor David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, said: "This research highlights the very real crisis this country is facing in providing care for the elderly and vulnerable.
"We know there isn't enough money in the system and without fundamental reform the situation is only going to get worse and stories like this will sadly become increasingly common."
OnMedica - News - Home care standards
Really boils my piss reading stuff like this.
