That carers have been overshadowed by the NHS?

[forfoxsakee]

I know the NHS are doing an amazing job but I feel like carers have been forgotten about in all this mess. My sister started a job in a care home a few weeks back and is allocated one blue surgical mask that she has to keep on all day, she is required to go into covid positive patients rooms wearing just one of these blue masks, a plastic apron and gloves. There are two pairs of goggles for the whole 30 rooms they have. She has received no infection control training. They are incredibly short staffed due to people isolating and yesterday worked a 13 and a half hour shift with just a 30 minute break in the morning. It is terrifying. I have looked up the statistics online and you are twice as likely to die if you work in a care home than if you work in healthcare or the NHS, why isn't this being more publicised? More care staff have died than nhs staff? I feel like the NHS is ' fashionable' at the moment to campaign about and carers in nursing homes just don't make that good news stories.

www.communitycare.co.uk/2020/05/11/covid-19-deaths-among-social-care-staff-far-outstripping-healthcare/

www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/ons-data-reveals-continued-devastating-impact-of-covid-19-on-care-homes

Agree. Carers are vital. So many of us could not live without them - all the time.

Caring homes have always been like this. Look at how residents were treated back in March,

And carers have always been fucked over wether they are paid or not.

That’s really awful. I thought care homes had all the PPE they needed now. That’s the impression that is being given via the news although it was a real issue at the start of the pandemic.

I agree. My husband has carers who visit our home every day and without them he wouldn’t be able to stay at home. The carers are wonderful. As well as caring for my husband they help keep my spirits up. All carers should be rewarded for the way they have stepped up during this terrible time.

Mainstream media only tell you part of the story. Look at internatinal news for the UK, they report more than UK news.

I don't think PPE is fully sorted across NHS either, and Doctors have taken legal action. Care home staff should do the same,

Your not wrong. seeing as how many people have died in care homes it has been very "front line"
I do hope they are getting the discounts that NHS staff are.

Carers are literally risking their life going to work every day for 8.72 an hour and were even told in my sisters nursing home that they weren't allowed to touch any of the food or drink off the trolley despite how hot it is wearing a mask all day. Whilst I've seen nhs staff being delivered food and drink from all kinds of places.

A key issue I have found with carers. (been one myself) is that many aren't willing to whistleblow.

Look at the home scandal. This started back in March, yet it wasn't reported for around a month iirc. Without backup from staff, family complaints usually get nowhere because of well. And patient complaints even worse.

I don't think carers come under nhs as standard yet.

I think the difficulty is many care homes are private businesses rather than being state owned, and the owners don't want to pay for PPE.

Canigooutyet I think that's because of job security and they know how easily replaceable they are and the risk of becoming a pariah in your workplace.

I have been a home carer myself and its also probably a confidence issue that they are so ground down they just put up with it .

were even told in my sisters nursing home that they weren't allowed to touch any of the food or drink off the trolley despite how hot it is wearing a mask all day. They sound like a shitty care home tbh. I manage one and ensure staff have regular breaks, plenty to eat and drink including ice lollies when it's hot.

That said we have been fucked over and are still the bottom of the pile. GPs have fucked us off as have CPNs, social workers etc etc. Nothing new there though.

The NHS is a religion, care homes are not

Plus minimum wage went up by over 6% but our local authority put payments up by 3%

That's what everyone said to me, think about my job security etc. It didn't matter because I would be complacent in it all. I would have been asked why didn't I say anything about what I was seeing. Minimum wage job and getting treated like shit wasn't worth the job security.

When I did complain it encouraged more staff to also do it. When I lodged it I started looking elsewhere to jump and advised others to do the same.

Also did the same in education

I still get calls at least 3 years later asking me if I want some work in both these fields. It's only badly run places that don't want people who speak up.

I agree with you. They must be exhausted and dehydrated. When I wear a mask I have to breathe through my mouth which means I'm constantly thirsty.

MPs and the media need to pick up on stories like this. If people are physically run down (which your sister and her colleagues surely must be) they're at greater risk of contracting the virus and also of having severe symptoms.