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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think pay in care homes is scandalous

250 replies

Clappingforjoy · 30/08/2019 12:41

I've worked in then and got out of it. Understaffed rushed off your feet. Rude management and simply unable to give the elderly the care they deserve.

OP posts:
Sotiredofthislife · 30/08/2019 22:43

There are little girls who are dying from Cystic Fibrosis, who cannot get the drugs they need because the NHS cannot afford them

For the most part, dementia care is a social care issue and not under the remit of the NHS. My mum got funding from the NHS for her final 36 hours only.

Alsohuman · 30/08/2019 22:45

It shouldn’t be a choice between care for a person with dementia and drugs for little girls with cystic fibrosis. That anyone should even say that’s a measure of how our society’s failing.

mamaraah · 30/08/2019 22:58

Carers Also have to prepare parts of meals ( buttering toast and that sort of thing) and also feed some residents who could not feed themselves, make and give out tea and biscuits twice per day and tidy up after meals, vacuum, change beds, make up beds etc

mamaraah · 30/08/2019 22:59

and also talking to families and making refreshments for families. Thank goodness only registered nursers and doctors can dispense medication( otherwise carers would be lumped with that job too)

Frequency · 30/08/2019 23:04

Some carers are lumped with dispensing medication. It depends on the setting (nursing care, general care, supported living)

I work in supported living and give out medication as a carer. I believe in community care and general care, carers also dispense medication. We don't make refreshments for visitors. I have offered to at times when I've been making the resident a drink and they've had guests but it's generally not expected of us.

I do agree that care homes take on residents whose needs outweigh the training we have. We have residents who are bed bound and unable to feed themselves. In what world is that independant?

YesQueen · 31/08/2019 00:11

As a community carer yes, we dispensed meds. Nobody else is going to do it for someone who has no family and is bed bound so all done by us

JaniceBattersby · 31/08/2019 00:40

My brother owns a care home. The CQC have told him it is excellent and is exceeding the minimum standard by some way. He pays his staff above minimum wage and treats them like queens. He charges around £800 per week per resident.

He is making a loss. The home will have to close. The local authority simply does not pay him enough to even start to cover the costs of LA residents. He’s a kind man, but he can’t continue to fund the care of a group of unrelated people out of his own pocket.

The days of small care homes having fat cat owners are long gone. Family-run homes will be extinct in a few years and then the big boys will have a monopoly, and costs will absolutely skyrocket.

HelenaDove · 31/08/2019 00:53

Frequency my parents are in their 80s. Should they ever need to go into a care home i hope all the care workers are like you Thanks

HelenaDove · 31/08/2019 00:56

Some of you might be interested in the programme i watched on Thursday night Housing Crisis What Next For the Elderly. Was part of ITVs Tonight strand I have a thread with some info on it on the Telly Addicts board.

ParkheadParadise · 31/08/2019 00:58

My mum was in a care home for 6yrs. Costing £750 a week.
They were always running out of pads. They would leave residents sitting wet through for hours
.
90% of the staff were fuckin nuts. They way they spoke to residents when they thought no one was listening was awful.

AnAC12UCOinanOCG · 31/08/2019 01:07

Frittering away inheritance" - this attitude is a massive part of the problem. People don't want to pay for care.

Totally agree.

I think with an ageing population we will see drastic changes to inheritance laws in the next few decades. And IMO it will be a good thing.

HelenaDove · 31/08/2019 01:44

@mamaraah i had a VERY similar experience to yours when i was working in a nursing home 29 years ago. I was 17

In fact i could have written that word for word.

PorpentinaScamander · 31/08/2019 02:24

I work in a care home. I earn £9.14 per hour which is considered a good wage for that job. I start at 7.45am and finish at 9.15pm. It takes me an hours travel each way (public transport as I cant drive) but all the closer care homes pay much much less, which would mean I'll have to claim more benefits in order to live.

I frequently spend my breaks in a residents room as it's the only time I get to sit down and chat with them. They are lovely and always happy for me to eat my sandwiches while we natter. I've also stayed late more than once when a resident decides at 9.05 that they want to go to bed now. Or they need the toilet. Or want a cup of tea. Most of my colleagues tell them they have to wait for night staff. If I leave work even 2 mins late I miss the bus home and the next one isn't for an hour. We also don't get paid for overtime unless its pre agreed with management.

While I agree the pay is shocking, I wonder if better pay would lead to even more people who are unsuited to the job applying. I've had lots of acquaintances say things like "oh I couldn't do that for such low pay. I'd consider it for £15 p/h". Caring is not something a lot of these people would be great at, and I believe carers should be great at their job. But if the money was right they would do it.

We are l, generally speaking, overworked and underpaid. I do it because I love it though.

mamaraah · 31/08/2019 08:07

@PorpentinaScamander I think it's brave that you work under those conditions. I wouldn't do it again.

mamaraah · 31/08/2019 08:18

@Frequency I was always told( before my care job stint first aid course ) that you cannot give medication to anybody unless you are a qualified doctor/ nurse. What would happen if you gave an oap the wrong medication/ dosage etc and they died? You'd be up on man slaughter charges.

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 31/08/2019 08:37

@Frequency I was always told( before my care job stint first aid course ) that you cannot give medication to anybody unless you are a qualified doctor/ nurse. What would happen if you gave an oap the wrong medication/ dosage etc and they died? You'd be up on man slaughter charges.

Most residential homes that don't have nurses (and many that do) use monitored dosage systems where meds come in dosette boxes already measured out. It's as simple as following the written prescription. Honestly it took me 20 minutes to learn the system when I first did it. I agree that people should be aware of what they're giving and it's why I used to carry a bnf around with me. Carers giving meds is not unusual at all though. Obviously it's about inlyngiving prescribed meds though, I know some places used to do "homely remedies" (paracetamol etc) but they all needed prescribing when I did it.

hereforasillygoosetime · 31/08/2019 08:55

@AnAC12UCOinanOCG

With drastic changes to inheritance laws will come the end of home ownership.

Why would anyone bother to purchase their own homes just for them to be used for their own elderly care, while those who didn't/couldn't purchase a home get their care paid for by the state?

People will spend any 'wealth' they have on enjoying their lives and make sure there is NOTHING left to be taken by the state when the time comes.

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 31/08/2019 09:08

People will spend any 'wealth' they have on enjoying their lives and make sure there is NOTHING left to be taken by the state when the time comes.

Only fools. Anyone with half a brain knows that contributing to your own care provides you with choice. Something those that cant pay do not have, they get placed wherever the local authority can afford.
And not everyone ends up in residential care. Its incredibly short sighted to think people will spend every penny just in case they might have to pay for care in the future.

hereforasillygoosetime · 31/08/2019 09:21

People are living longer and longer and medical advancement will only continue. Dementia at the end and the need to be in a care home is an increasing likelihood for people, as ailments which would otherwise have killed them earlier are treated and cured.

Having your own property to fund your own care home doesn't necessarily mean you have a better time. Sitting in your own mess and being confused for the majority of the time is no way to spend your days either way.

I'd argue that only fools would think otherwise.

hereforasillygoosetime · 31/08/2019 09:23

I know it's not an option for everybody but if I have any wealth at all when it comes to it I'll be paying for a one way ticket to Dignitas.

CallmeAngelina · 31/08/2019 09:26

Why would anyone bother to purchase their own homes just for them to be used for their own elderly care
But why shouldn't we use them for that? When dh and I lived in a small flat and were expecting our first dc, we sold it to buy a place more suited to our needs. 25 years on, once this house becomes unsuitable/too big for us, we'll probably downsize to one that suits our needs for that stage of life too.
So, if an elderly person's house no longer fits for them, what is the difference in selling it to fund them living somewhere else? (assuming there is no spouse still requiring it).

hereforasillygoosetime · 31/08/2019 09:35

@CallmeAngelina

People hate the concept of buying their own homes....which then get used to pay care fees, whilst others who didn't buy their own homes get their care paid for by others.
People are already desperately trying to find ways to transfer their properties to their children to avoid this. If inheritance laws / inheritance tax laws are changed in such a way in the future so that your property will absolutely all be used for any care home fees, many people WILL stop trying to buy their own homes - what is the point when it gets taken in the end anyway?

No matter your opinion many people will continue to feel this way.

Alsohuman · 31/08/2019 09:47

Some people. I have absolutely no objection to our house funding the best care money can buy, should it become necessary. There’s no entitlement to inherited money and our kids have been brought up to understand that. They also saw my parents’ money used for the best care home available.

CallmeAngelina · 31/08/2019 09:49

whilst others who didn't buy their own homes get their care paid for by others
You could use the same argument about home-ownership in the first place. Why should anyone buy their own home, or get a job even, when others "get theirs paid for" in benefits. People want to own their own, for security, and autonomy and choice as to how to make it comfortable.

People are already desperately trying to find ways to transfer their properties to their children to avoid this. Yes, and it's called 'deprivation of assets,' and the authorities are clamping down hard on it.

No matter your opinion many people will continue to feel this way
Am I not allowed to express my opinion, then? It's called debate.

And in the interests of transparency, we have just sold my dad's house, now he is in a care home. He was fully in favour of it, and with our support, was able to choose a fantastic place (but we would dream of "only" paying £1000 per week!! Get real, people!)

Fishbiscuits · 31/08/2019 09:53

Thank goodness only registered nursers and doctors can dispense medication( otherwise carers would be lumped with that job too)

Dispensing medication is not the same as administering medication which has been prescribed by a qualified professional and dispensed by a pharmacist for that resident. Carers can and do administer medication to residents, and the training they are given to do so is not always adequate.

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