Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for your help to nail this CF

42 replies

stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 18:28

Long story but my friend and neighbour of 20 year recently came out of hospital following a broken hip and pneumonia.

This combined with her care agency folding and a few weeks ago I helped her select a new agency.

All this has taken its toll on her and she is currently pretty much bed bound so I have been "training" each new staff member as they first arrive about how her systems work and especially her coal Rayburn.

All going well so far.

But yesterday I get a panicked phone call at 12.30, a new staff member had arrived, shoved a half bowl of porridge at her, no cup of tea, no commode emptying and had disappeared without saying goodbye leaving the house smelling of smoke.

I arrived at 12.45 sorted everything out (the door was left open on the Rayburn hence the smell)
We decided to wait together for her return at 1.30ish so I could run through the "training" by 1.45 I was getting a bit frustrated so I checked the agency book only to find the carer had signed as being there from 1.20- 1.48! Apparently my friend wasn't hungry and didn't want any lunch.

I rang the agency straight away to basically say they had a carer falsifying their records and currently can't seem to get them to take this seriously.

They phoned the carer yesterday for an explanation and she then said I met her at the gate and told her my friend wasn't hungry so not to bother and talked about cows for a bit. WTAF? We do both live on farms but really...

This has rumbled on today via email (I'm trying to at least document everything) but surely this carer should at least be suspended?

OP posts:
stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 21:27

We had to put cctv up for my Mum and that was expensive, a few thousand. Definitely less than the money she was losing to care staff though.

I could look at dummy cameras, it's funny we talked about it today.

Will google.

OP posts:
stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 21:31

@Sparklywolf yes I wrote in it myself under her entries and then took photos.

I was actually super paranoid that cf would "break in" last night and steal the book hence the potential key safe code change.

Such a faff though and friend definitely doesn't need more stress.

OP posts:
Skinnyboneylittlepony · 26/04/2018 21:37

There is cheap CCTV now through smartphones. No need to pay thousands. Search on moneysavingexpert.com

Pinguine · 26/04/2018 21:42

CCTV can easily be done for £40 per camera Smile just need wifi and you can stream to your phone. I use nest cameras mostly but also have these: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0761R6HZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

WishingOnABar · 26/04/2018 21:44

We had a couple of carers who would spend 5-10 minutes with dgm but fill the book as though they’d been 35 minutes. It doesnt sound that terrible, until you consider that they were specifically writing over 30 minutes so they could argue that dgm need additional time added to her care plan because 30 minutes was insufficient Hmm. Gps were paying privately as well so every penny that was charged came from dwindling savings.

When DM realised she established a rule that DGF had to countersign all of their times in and out. It soon became apparent they could do the whole visit in under 20 mins after that

PitilessYank · 26/04/2018 21:45

Wow, I just want to say kudos to you for your investigations! I am impressed that you figured out that the CF could have scanned a photo of the code to fake having been there. You sound like a great friend.Smile

LanaorAna2 · 26/04/2018 21:50

The phone pic clocking-out scam shows CF has set up a system to cheat ie she's planning it beforehand and it's highly unlikely to be a one-off. She's an idiot.

If she comes back to your friend she prob won't try it again, but one feels for her other clients. There is an upside: the more she does it, the sooner she'll get caught.

Bootikin · 26/04/2018 21:55

Speechless at the awful situation! Strongly rec these cctv cameras (very easy to setup if there is existing wifi) we use them to keep an eye on our naughty cats whilst we are at work.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074P8KHNH/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

You can set up movement alerts or not, it will record on an SD card any movement. The camera is only £40 and VERY reliable. setup near front door, it will show carer arriving / leaving. Great work in helping your neighbour - such a horrible situation!

sleepingdragon · 26/04/2018 21:57

Definitely phone the social worker OP- tell them that other staff have reported concerns to you too. I know its more onto you to kick up a fuss, but if she is just moved on she will just end up targetting someone without anyone looking out for them. Flowers for you for being such a caring neighbour

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 26/04/2018 22:12

Nannycams would be cheaper than full-on CCTV, wouldn't they?
I am absolutely appalled at this CF - her work ethic is atrocious, and clearly she doesn't give a rat's arse about her clients' welfare. So what IS she doing? I'm probably pushing things beyond what is reasonable but people who prey on the elderly and vulnerable usually aren't very honest and may start pilfering stuff (not saying this one has so far, but since she's not doing the job she's actually paid for, then there has to be some ulterior motive behind it)

Either way, you're a great friend and I hope CF non-carer gets her come-uppance.

stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 23:05

Awwww you are all so nice!
It's a two way friendship, she will listen to me prattle on about stuff that worries me for ages and has a real interest in DD, DH and my little dog.

I'd be lost without her.

I'm really not sure that real cctv would work, she lives as she did in the 1930's with no indoor plumbing and an old electric system with round pin plugs so plugging anything would be ummm interesting.

Before you say how dangerous that is I have thought about that but she is happy with it all and used to how she lives. Gets a fantastic Electritian to check it over once a year, nothing if not practical.

OP posts:
stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 23:08

I don't think I deserve kudos @PitilessYank I was sat right next to the book at those times I know she couldn't have physically scanned it. Smile

OP posts:
Wreckless1 · 26/04/2018 23:13

Name change for this, as outing.

I inspect care homes and the domiciliary care contracts for a local authority. It is a nightmare and there is no way that we can keep up with the complaints. I lose loads of flexi every month and work over most of my lunch breaks as we are constantly swamped.

Definitely report this to the CQC as even if it is all resolved, they would still be able to keep this information on file. It will inform their view of the care provider and the carer involved.

Report this to the care manager in the Social Services department and the Commissioning Section too. Does she also pay the Council for her care, or directly to the Dom Care company? If the former, your friend should have the support of the Council and Commissioning / Contract Management should investigate the complaint. They may also be unaware that carers can circumvent the clocking arrangements and this information would be useful to them even if your friend's contract with the care provider is independent of the Local Authority.

Many companies turn a blind eye to their staff working in this manner and even encourage it sometimes. If the company is being paid £15 for seeing Jane Smith for 30 minutes and another £15 to see John Jones for the same duration directly afterwards, there is no time written into the equation for travelling. This cuts down the time available for actual care but (depending upon the contract arrangements) the LA is being conned out of the full amount. If it is a private client, that person too is being charged for time where no care is provided.

The care company can also 'double book' a carer's time. The council and / or private clients will pay for the full hour (if two sessions of 30 minutes are involved) between them, but if the carer can squeeze in another client over the same hour, the £30 payment to the company will be increased by the extra fee charged to client 3, whether Local Authority or private. One company (eventually sacked from the contract) was allocating a carer with up to 2.5 hours of work in one hour, for clients living in the same block of flats. They did this with a number of carers each day, enabling higher charges to be levied against the council. The more sinister aspect of that was that vulnerable clients who needed support and medications prompts were receiving very little or no care.

I'm absolutely not saying that the carer involved is working to the instructions of the care company, but it is a factor that needs to be considered.

Carers can behave indescribably badly, especially if they believe that they have found a soft and vulnerable target. Thankfully, most carers are not like that but even some apparently 'good' carers can be pretty shocking. We often receive whistleblowing complaints from carers, raising concerns about their company or other carers.

Another issue is that clients usually don't want to complain. They even lie through their teeth to protect a favourite carer or even just because they feel afraid to reveal what has been happening. One carer was notorious for wearing a 'birthday girl' badge every few months to encourage clients to give her money. The same carer used to wash and set the client's hair, make her lunch and sandwiches for later, wash, dry and put away the dishes, vacuum, dust and do the shopping, all in two 30 minute sessions daily, none of which were ever missed. The client absolutely adored the carer and spun yarns galore to protect her. Of course, the carer did very few of those tasks and regularly missed visits to this severely disabled and blind client. The carer was reported by another carer who had just been on safeguarding training.

Take copies of visit documentation and any Meds Record sheets. One of the companies I dealt with used to forge signatures in any gaps in the records, when the paperwork was collected. If the copies are taken after each visit (as much as possible!), it also prevents the carer being able to back-fill details at their next visit.

The government, police and CQC do not recommend the use of covert recording equipment, but I would not hesitate to use it if I had any suspicions. One carer(much loved by the client) used to hand the client's purse to her for shopping money. All was apparently above board. The hidden camera installed by the family who were curious about the amount of money being spent, showed exactly how the carer stole the cash in full view of the client.

It's a minefield. Thankfully, there are so many more fantastic carers than bad or criminal ones and Flowers to those hardworking, decent and dedicated people who do an indescribably difficult job under some grim and stressful circumstances.

stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 23:23

Thanks wreckless, helpfully and worrying at the same time.

I don't think the agency is the issue, I'm pretty sure it's the carer herself.

Found out tonight that the carers work phones have GPS trackers so they should be able to see exactly where the cf was when she logged in and out.

Will email in the morning and ask them to follow that up.

OP posts:
stayathomegardener · 26/04/2018 23:24

Oh and yes she pays the care company directly as self funded.

OP posts:
Wreckless1 · 26/04/2018 23:39

Yes OP, it's definitely worrying. I really hate listing the horrible stuff but it is all just information and it's better to have this knowledge and awareness than not. Do you want to PM me with the LA involved, in case it's somewhere that I know?
Good luck.

ThereAreTooMany · 27/04/2018 00:16

I'm really not sure that real cctv would work, she lives as she did in the 1930's with no indoor plumbing and an old electric system with round pin plugs so plugging anything would be ummm interesting

Say what! Are you saying she has NO INDOOR PLUMBING!!!! or am I reading that wrong. 😱😱😱
As for the electricity I thought round pin plugs are something crazy like 70 or 80 years old. How on earth does that work? I can’t believe an electrician would inspect that every year and not do anything about it.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread