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Home care mess.

I have a question about safeguarding if anyone can help or offer advice on this. I work as a home carer for a national company and today I was told off for not informing the office that a client had gone on holiday. It's got blown out of proportion and now it's apparently a 'safeguarding' issue. The ones who think so are my boss and the clients social worker. I think they need their head testing becasue as far as I'm concerned, I only see the client 2 hours a week to do care tasks, the rest of the time is his own and I have no responsibility for him. The client and his wife should have told my manager but they didn't and I bet they won't get the earbashing I did today, but then like I say it was f' all to do with me! So I suppose my question is are they allowed to hold me accountable?





I'm so sick of these donkeys working in social care - social workers and care managers who subscribe to these silly and essential futile policies around safeguarding, wholey assuming they can protect a client 24/7. The council needs to get its hand in its pocket and pay for 24/7 care if this is how they feel but of course they won't. The majority of the responsibility is often left to those on the NMW but still they pay these so called professionals much more, and what for? To lambast staff like me who work a stressful and demanding job for a crap wage? All the soul has gone out of caring and I used to love my job but everyday you see clients having to compromise or I have to explain why I can't help. It's common for my clients not to have a visit if I book time off as for some reason management don't update the system in time and supply other staff. When I return I have people going on at me thinking it's my fault they've been left. It needs to be sorted out but then it's all about money and companies profiteering from old age, but then I've never known a businessman to also be a carer and this is where the problems come.
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Comments

  • I would say that it is vital as a care worker that you record in your daily care notes what has happened on your daily visit and anything that needs recording such as 'A informed me he is going on holiday for a week, I informed my manager', this protects you from any accusations as you might not think it but you do have a duty of care.

    It is well known that the care industry pay poor wages for the work that is undertaken, however you feel about this, your clients care needs should be priority.
  • tomtontom
    tomtontom Posts: 7,929 Forumite
    I am concerned about your attitude towards safeguarding policies, which if applied correctly are far from silly. Perhaps you could ask for training on the topic?
  • Where I used to be in the community we refused to handle requests to cancel visits saying "contact office please", (that was what care co-ordinator's were there for and who also did made up our rota's? so they needed to know above us) whilst we made a note of it, it was interesting experiencing another industry recently I was made aware why we really shouldn't have our 'own clients/customers' as it were a real eye opener - I would hope 'your' clients got visited in your absence? do you mean colleagues mess the time up or something when it is meant to be, as that could be reported as carer concern






    Still they shouldn't be having a go at you I agree ! sounds like they need a policy in place that's what I'd be suggesting, 'because rotten can happen from head downward' so not all your problem


    "but then I've never known a businessman to also be a carer"
    Says it all - tell them to stop mixing in stuff they obviously don't know much about the care industry would be better of without, the little boys always were the worst to work for.
  • marybelle01
    marybelle01 Posts: 2,101 Forumite
    lauramiles wrote: »
    I have a question about safeguarding if anyone can help or offer advice on this. I work as a home carer for a national company and today I was told off for not informing the office that a client had gone on holiday. It's got blown out of proportion and now it's apparently a 'safeguarding' issue. The ones who think so are my boss and the clients social worker. I think they need their head testing becasue as far as I'm concerned, I only see the client 2 hours a week to do care tasks, the rest of the time is his own and I have no responsibility for him. The client and his wife should have told my manager but they didn't and I bet they won't get the earbashing I did today, but then like I say it was f' all to do with me! So I suppose my question is are they allowed to hold me accountable?





    I'm so sick of these donkeys working in social care - social workers and care managers who subscribe to these silly and essential futile policies around safeguarding, wholey assuming they can protect a client 24/7. The council needs to get its hand in its pocket and pay for 24/7 care if this is how they feel but of course they won't. The majority of the responsibility is often left to those on the NMW but still they pay these so called professionals much more, and what for? To lambast staff like me who work a stressful and demanding job for a crap wage? All the soul has gone out of caring and I used to love my job but everyday you see clients having to compromise or I have to explain why I can't help. It's common for my clients not to have a visit if I book time off as for some reason management don't update the system in time and supply other staff. When I return I have people going on at me thinking it's my fault they've been left. It needs to be sorted out but then it's all about money and companies profiteering from old age, but then I've never known a businessman to also be a carer and this is where the problems come.


    And if someone ends up dead, it will be everyone else's fault? You have a job. You have responsibilities, You ignored them. You are lucky you just got a telling off. if your company is ignoring legal responsibilities, there are whistleblowers laws. If they aren't, the only person doing so here is you.
  • I have some questions...

    1. Does the client have capacity or do they not?

    2. Is the only care you provide social care? Washing, bathing etc or do you or is your company responsible for their clinical needs? PEG? Vent? Meds etc?

    Thanks
  • Patronus
    Patronus Posts: 146 Forumite
    I work in Home Care too. We have regular training on safeguarding and I don't think it's a bad thing at all. You have (or should have) a client journal and you should always record/report what you have done that day with the client and inform the office of any changes to the client/the client's daily habits.
    ~
    Heaven's heard me calling. The stars have all aligned.
  • pioneer22 wrote: »
    I have some questions...

    1. Does the client have capacity or do they not?

    2. Is the only care you provide social care? Washing, bathing etc or do you or is your company responsible for their clinical needs? PEG? Vent? Meds etc?

    Thanks


    The client didn't have capacity but his wife did who was the main carer and it was her who took the client away. Yes I only do social care for one hour a week with the client and nope we don't do anything like the clinical stuff.
  • Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of supporting the 'rules' when my post clearly makes a point of why we should question the rules! The safeguarding procedures in this case would have prompted a call for a missing persons report when in fact the gentleman turned up safe and well at his sons. This idiot company I work for didn't even have the son's phone number to check but then it does seem futile in any case, for a policy to prompt a series of phone calls to whoever, rather than believeing what I was telling them which turned out to be true! Also no one's obliged to disclose where they're going unless they're in statutory care! !!!!!! people when you reply to posts like this, try reading it more than once because there's a lot of detail and you may just get the full picture before you start typing!
  • I would say that it is vital as a care worker that you record in your daily care notes what has happened on your daily visit and anything that needs recording such as 'A informed me he is going on holiday for a week, I informed my manager', this protects you from any accusations as you might not think it but you do have a duty of care.

    It is well known that the care industry pay poor wages for the work that is undertaken, however you feel about this, your clients care needs should be priority.


    Did I say they weren't?
  • tomtontom wrote: »
    I am concerned about your attitude towards safeguarding policies, which if applied correctly are far from silly. Perhaps you could ask for training on the topic?



    Yeah perhaps you could retake English too because I made it clear where the problems were with the policies and how they were ineffective.
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