To think midnight is a late finish in community care?

[tiredcarer]

I'm a regular but name changed, I'm overly tired sensitive so hiding behind a new name.

I'm a community carer, love my job, love my clients but just feel so fustrated.
630am starts and midnight finishes after having yet more clients added on all the time.
It's not fair on us, or them! Putting a client to bed 1130pm is ridiculous then rushing all day.
Feel a failure at my job, at being a mum and just don't know what to do.
Can't fit in any more hours in the day, never see my family - I know I can say no to the long shifts but my boss gives me hell that's another thread topic entirely!

Any other care workers feel like this?

I know all services are stretched so feel a bit bad moaning.

Have your employers not heard of the Working Time Regulations? If not maybe you should enlighten them.

No, it isn't fair to you, and it isn't fair to your clients. No wonder there is a crisis in community care.

No way would I work that late and I work in community care...our last call is at 9pm and I think that is late enough when I'm up at 6am every morning

This makes me crazy, I use care agencies and wanted bedtime calls. To be told by several agencies that last calls are 8.30pm!! I'm 40!

There is no logical reason for a carer to work 6am-midnight. It should be possible like most of the working world for agencies to employ people on shifts. Why can't people work 7pm-12pm?? Surely parents without childcare, students, night owls all manage to work in Tesco and pubs in the evening does seem a very pericular thing to care.

If it was paid better they would be people more willing to do it, even on the panorama type programmes were care funding is agreed they still can't find people because of low wages.

OP do look after yourself and certainly shouldn't be working that long and be expected drive and make important decisions for others.

I know how you feel, I work in the community & its the same no matter what company you try. You get a timetable that's full of calls, no travel time & then you constantly have calls added on (& it doesn't matter if you're miles away from them you are still asked to go) I was getting calls until 11.30pm even though I had specified 10pm was the latest I could work. I was running my self ragged trying to fit this all in. In the end I had no choice but to be 'selfish' and refuse to accept calls after 9.30pm.
OP, sometimes you have to put yourself first, sorry if that sounds selfish, but once you're burnt out you'll be no help to anyone. Family, colleagues or the people you visit

Last call used to be 10.30pm but with new ones "squeezed" in its pushed it way back.
Shifts meant to be 630 - 1430 and 1600-2200 but no travel time included hence no breaks etc
Today was meant to be my day off, got called in to help for a few hours which turned out to be 1500-12am 😴

@Akire that's awful that seems so early. I've worked with another company previously and last bedtime call was 2200 there.

YANBU.

Given clients' (ie people's) typical variation in sleep habits, its not unreasonable for a carer to visit them either early in the morning or late in the evening, but it doesn't need to be the exact same carer both early in the morning AND late in the evening, so long as trust is built and records are kept. Expecting you to go out at all hours is ridiculous ad, probably, illegal

I work for a care agency and feel sure there is a rule that there has to be 11 hours between shifts. Agencies are crying out for good carers so if your boss is giving you he'll look for another agency who value their staff...they are out there honest

Yes I thought about the 11 hour rule but I've signed a 40+ hours agreement :( started out as only doing part time, that lasted a day haha!

Working time directive does require 11 hours between shifts, although it looks like they've required asked you to waive all your WTD rights. I don't know if this is standard in the care industry, but they are famous for shite working conditions.

It makes sense that some people don't want to be put to bed in the early evening, but they really shouldn't be asking people to do shifts that start early morning and continue late into the evening. As a PP says, there should be evening shifts that are separate to the morning/daytime shifts and staffed by different people.

Care workers are needed everywhere, if they won't let you have decent hours and a life, move onto another company and be clear about hours from the beginning or look at care homes.

I'm a carer and unfortunately this just seems to be the way. Especially at a weekend when there's only half the staff plus the usual ones that go off sick because it's a weekend and the genuinely Ill going off too.
It's exhausting being a carer but I find if you put your foot down you should be fine. You don't have to agree to extra calls being squeezed in and working your day off.

Can you work independently of an agency? Sorry if I'm being ignorant, I don't really know how it works, but I have a friend who advertised as a private carer and she has done very well, she gets to pick her clients and hours.

Your can work privately without registration. That is quite expensive.

You should to be assisting people to bed at midnight unless the person has specifically requested it. To do so would be an adult safeguarding issue. Fill in a form anonymously on CQC website. You have a moral and legal obligation to protect the vulnerable people you are working with.

Domiciliary care workers are entitled to paid travel time. You have a legal claim for back pay if this hasn't happened. Speak to your boss/the union/ a solicitor. The ruling was made by the EU (good reason to have voted remain!) against a Spanish firm called Tyco and is case C266/14. That ruling entitled staff to paid travel vouchers Ives between clients. Again, report via CQC website if this isn't happening.

Why would going to bed at midnight be a safeguarding issue?? Unless you wanted go bed at 9? I go to bed anything from 11pm-1am as an adult no safe guard issues here!!!

Agree about traveling but I've used 4 care agencies none of them pay travel between clients time even though it's the law. Once a year Goverment picks a few companies including a care one and cracks down on mim wage and travel the rest just get away with it. It's norm

Akire, it's a potential safeguarding issue as vulnerable people are being left until midnight. If it's their choice and they have capacity, that's fine but if it's frail elderly then it's not fine. Increased risk of pressure damage to start. Its also a commissioning issue as I suspect the commissioning authority are not agreeing to a midnight visit unless there were exceptional circumstances.

I have typo above. You cannot work without registration. It is criminal offence to provide a regulated activity without registration.

If they are not paying for travel time, it would be picked up on inspection - or at least it should be. Provider then runs risk of prosecution.

Registration with whom? For private care work? I employ own carers and use care agencies never heard of it.
I employ carers, I write contracts I provide payroll and public liability insurence that's all above board.

It's not even illegal have unregistered nannies working in your home that's your choice yes they can register for child care but not what's of equalivant for private carers. Can you link me to anywhere??

I work for a company, never thought about going private. Will look into it.

If you employ care workers personally as employees they don't need to be registered.
If they are self employed and providing a regulated activity (Health and Social Care Act(registration) Regulations 2008) they are required to be registered via CQC to carry on their business. If the employ others - aka an agency they must be registered. There are no opt out clauses. If they are providing care and not a direct employee then they are legally required to be registered. Failing to do so renders them liable to prosecution.

www.cqc.org.uk/content/what-registration

Companies providing sheltered housing don't need to be registered but if they also provide care they do. If another agency comes in to supported living situation to provide care they need to be registered too.

I work for a company in a residential children's home, and I start at 5pm on a Monday, sleep over work all day Tuesday and get home at 11pm Tuesday night! Then go straight to university on Wednesday morning for 9am and I have a 3 year old daughter to juggle with childcare etc. (And a very understanding family). And I totally agree that the hours are poo, and pay is average 😒 Only 2 years of uni to go until I can 8/9-5 it! Lol

Thank you Crumbs that's very handy to know.