A NEW report has exposed the growing homecare crisis where shorter and shorter visits mean that homecare workers cannot provide proper care, leaving the elderly and vulnerable in a dire state.
Shocking examples are revealed including a care worker who was forced to leave a 93 year old women in her house with a burst water pipe.
Another care worker was ordered to abort a call when there was no answer from the door. The care worker refused and after persevering, found that the client was in fact in, but had suffered a bad fall. She was hospitalised and later died.
Many care workers are dedicating their own unpaid time because they cannot bear to see the elderly and vulnerable suffer in this way and this in turn is having a detrimental effect on their own personal and family life.
The report is produced by Unison, one of the unions that represents care workers.
It said: ‘The current system of homecare is failing the people who receive it and the people who provide it.
‘The report has revealed widespread concern from homecare workers that short visit times and changing client lists are severely impeding their ability to provide quality and continuity of care.
‘Many workers have reported “topping up” care, by providing additional unpaid care in their own time, to the detriment of their own personal lives.’
The union described the treatment of those receiving care and workers – who are among the most poorly paid in the country – as an ‘outrage’.
The Key findings of the report include:
l 79.1 per cent of respondents reported that their work schedule is arranged in such a way that they either have to rush their work or leave a client early to get to their next visit on time.
• 57.8 per cent of respondents were not paid for their travelling time between visits, which results in many being paid below the national minimum wage.
• 41.1 per cent are not given specialist training to deal with their clients’ specific medical needs, such as dementia and stroke related conditions.
• Only 43.7 per cent of respondents see fellow homecare workers on a daily basis at work. This isolation is not good for morale and impacts on the ability to learn and develop in the role.
General Secretary of Unison Dave Prentis said: ‘This report has highlighted the very real crisis of our current homecare system, which is failing both the people receiving care, and the people providing it.
‘Short visiting times, and ever-changing client lists are severely limiting the ability of homecare workers to provide quality and continuity of care. But they are speaking out, and they are rightly appalled.
‘It is an outrage that homecare workers, who provide care to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, remain so poorly treated and badly paid.
‘Homecare workers show their real commitment and passion for this valuable public service on a daily basis but it is not right that they are propping up a failing system by providing care in the own time, to their own personal cost.
‘The value of their work, and the contribution they make to the communities they serve must be recognised.
‘This report sadly shines a light on the reality for many people who rely on homecare – a production line mentality which limits the ability of staff to carry out their duties, and puts the dignity of those receiving care second to meeting arbitrary targets.
‘It is time for the councils who commission or provide these services to take responsibility for the welfare of those who receive, and provide them.’
Unison said of the report: ‘Homecare workers report that the sheer volume of clients, and the pressures of under-staffing, have led to “call cramming” – where visits must be cut short to fit them all in. The consequences, as the testimonials reveal, can be harrowing.
‘Unison has put together an Ethical Care Charter to assist councils who provide or commission home care to help ensure this care is of the best possible quality.’
Key points of the Ethical Care Charter include:
• Workers to have the freedom to provide appropriate care and be given time to talk to their clients
• Clients will be allocated the same homecare worker(s) wherever possible
• The time allocated to visits will match the needs of the clients. In general, 15-minute visits will not be used as they undermine the dignity of the clients
• Homecare workers will be paid for their travel time, their travel costs and other necessary expenses such as mobile phones
* Visits will be scheduled so that homecare workers are not forced to rush their time with clients or leave their clients early to get to the next one on time.
Unison has included some examples of on-the-job experiences of homecare workers who responded to the survey: ‘A client was not answering her door so I rang the office so they could phone the client.
‘There was no answer and I was told to abort the call but I refused, as I was sure the client was in.
‘She was, and had had a fall. She was hospitalised and later died.’
‘I left a client with a burst water pipe. Was told to leave even though she was 93 years old and could not pick up a bowl and bucket of water.’
‘An elderly lady was being sick; I called the doctor but couldn’t wait for him to arrive as I had to go to my next visit.’
‘Have had to leave a client with open sores as was not able to contact family to get them to apply dressing.
‘Have had to leave pills out for a client with dementia as she was failing to take them.’
• Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) organised a special conference last Friday that addressed the detrimental effect the Tory government’s brutal cuts are having on the voluntary sector.
The TUC said: ‘The ability of voluntary and community organisations to support their local communities is being seriously undermined by funding cuts that are leading to widespread job losses and cuts to services.
‘At the conference representatives of charities, voluntary and community organisations, trade unions, faith groups and other civil society organisations are hearing how the voluntary sector is being left unable to meet increasing demands for services as a result of government spending cuts, the continuing economic recession and changes to welfare and legal aid.’
The TUC continued: ‘The National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) recently conducted a survey of its members.
‘Those responding to the survey reported that total income in the sector had fallen by 19 per cent in the previous 12 months. Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of organisations had seen cuts to funding from local authorities, and 40 per cent were making redundancies as a result.
‘The NAVCA survey also found that 40 per cent of its member organisations were increasing the use of volunteers to make up for the loss of capacity and many were dipping into reserves simply to keep going.
‘The most affected organisations were those providing services for children and young people, bodies providing support to other charities and community organisations and those working in the most deprived communities.
‘Liverpool, the North East, Inner London and Leicester were the areas facing the largest cuts to services.
‘Similar findings have also been identified in other recent reports from the sector:
• Research from Children England found that voluntary organisations were shedding two jobs for every one in the public sector and that wages had fallen by three per cent.
• The London Voluntary Services Council (LVSC) Big Squeeze report found that 60 per cent of members had lost funding, 40 per cent were closing services and over half could not meet the demand for their services.
• Research by the University of Birmingham for Unison found that over half (56 per cent) of respondents noted that day centres are closing in their area.
•l The New Economics Foundation report Cutting it in Birmingham identified cuts of up to 70 per cent to local community services, with funding being withdrawn not just by national and local government, but also grant giving bodies such as the Big Lottery Fund.
The TUC said: ‘Friday’s conference, Outsourcing and Austerity: Civil Society and the Coalition Government, held at the TUC headquarters in London has been jointly organised by the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), the TUC, the National Coalition for Independent Action (NCIA), Unite and Unison.
‘Over 100 different voluntary and community organisations and unions were present to look at the impact of two years of coalition government on the voluntary sector.’
Commenting on the conference, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘It is no exaggeration to say that the voluntary and community sector is in crisis.
‘The Big Society has become a sick joke to the thousands of people who work in and depend on local community and voluntary services.
‘Charities are also seeing their funding decimated as a result of the government’s austerity drive.
‘The Big Society and localism can now be seen for what they are – a cover for outsourcing and cutting public services.’
Chief Executive of NAVCA Joe Irvin said: ‘We’ve all got a part to play in defending those most in need in society. Different voluntary organisations will do this in different ways depending on their mission and aims.
‘Charities are already playing a key role in defending hard-pressed communities from unfair cuts and can be a powerful campaigning force for change. Community action can be a bulwark against big power and help get communities organised.’
Assistant General Secretary of Unite, Gail Cartmail said: ‘The government’s privatisation agenda is about providing services on the cheap and turning a profit for its business friends.
‘Competitive tendering is creating a race to the bottom in terms and conditions for not for profit workers as they are pitted against large businesses to try and win contracts.’
Convenor of NCIA Andy Benson commented: ‘As the cuts bite and local voluntary groups are decimated by flawed commissioning and procurement strategies, the situation facing local communities is indeed dire. However, the signs of a fight back are growing and thousands of activists around the country are standing up to say no to this madness.’
Assistant General Secretary of Unison Karen Jennings said: ‘The coalition government is persisting with a cuts, privatisation and austerity agenda that is not only destroying our public sector, but also dramatically reducing – or removing altogether – the quality of life for thousands of families across the UK.
‘Voluntary and community services play a vital role for the people they serve, the unnecessary harsh cuts makes their job only harder.
‘Many charitable and volunteer groups already survive on a pittance, and cannot compete with private interests who promise cheaper services on the back of reduced quality of service and reduced security for workers.’
