To think you can't just leave somebody without a carer?

[Mixedupworld]

I have a carer twice a day to help me with personal care. My carer was due 7.30am. If they are running late I get a phone call to say so. By 8 I'd not heard anything so I rang the company. I was told they couldn't find out what was going on until the office opened at 8.30. I rang again 8.30 and after a bit of back and forth it turns out my usual morning carer needs to self isolate due to possibly being in contact with somebody who has coronavirus. Ok so when will I expect somebody to come out to me? I was told there is nobody else, they are short staffed and nobody will be coming until my bedtime call at 8.30pm.

I'm paraplegic, can't move from my waist down. I can probably get myself out of bed but then I'm stuck in my night clothes all day. I can change and wash my top half but can't do my bottom half. I have chronic back pain in my upper back so it will take me a long time to get up and dressed. I work from home but have 3 zoom meetings today. I'm CEV so can't have anybody other than my carers in to my apartment. If I can't get out of bed then other than half a packet of biscuits and enough water in my flask for one more cup of tea, I have no food or drink all day.

I'm fuming

Totally awful but not carers fault, or your fault. I hope they find someone x

Call your adult social care team, the person on duty has to resolve as you cannot care for yourself, the response from the care company is neglectful and they need to be reported.

This is not acceptable and awful that you have been left like this. The company should have a contingency plan in place for people that need care.

I hope you get it sorted quickly.

Sorry op, it’s entirely unacceptable to leave you like this until later tonight. Keep calling and insisting they get someone to you. I don’t know if it’ll help, but could you call your gp and explain? Maybe they can put some pressure on.

I wish I could something. I feel awful when I hear stories like this. I can’t believe they didn’t even phone you to tell you so you could at least try and arrange an alternative. Despicable.

If not having your morning call is leaving you at risk of harm then it's totally unacceptable.
I do understand as someone who's done eleventy billion hours this week across nights and days, that when a lot of staff test positive at the same time, the shit hits the fan and rules have to be bent. Some of the shifts I've pulled bordered on illegal I'd think, however less illegal, and better safety wise, than leaving the home dangerously understaffed.
It is up to managers, supervisors or basically whoever is left standing to sort this out, and if there truly is no-one they need to call in other agencies to help - no matter what it costs or report the situation to social services duty team immediately.
I would suggest you also try and contact them and ask for advice, they may have other people they've left today who aren't able to advocate for themselves. You might get some advice/help then, and they will be aware of the failing.

Sorry to hear this OP, it must have been stressful not knowing what was going on, they should have informed you as soon as they knew the carer was having to isolate. I can see how it's upsetting and frustrating, we really need to address the shortage of carers by improving pay, conditions (as in many are stretched to the limit and burn out), for the benefit of the staff and of course users such as yourself.

Yes it’s unacceptable but they can’t just magic a spare carer out of thin air and if they send someone else’s to you what does that person do . This is not an unusual occurrence unfortunately.

It's a difficult one for the care company. If they are short staffed then they have to prioritise the people they give care to - it sounds like however uncomfortable and unpleasant it is for the OP, they are unlikely to die or be seriously ill as a result of waiting for another 12 hours to receive care. It's understandable that others in need of care may be considered more urgent.

The real problem is a lack of carers in general, and that is caused by pay being too low. If carers earned £100,000 per year, there would be no shortage of them, but how on earth is that going to be paid for?

Unfortunately there will always be circumstances like this where carers are sick, or potentially infected, and it's understandable that a potentially ill person avoids CEVs entirely.

This is not good enough. And by sharing this here, you'll make a few more people aware of what having carers can be like. I have a friend who even pre-covid was having her night call at 3pm - that was when she was washed, helped into pj's, given her supper and left until the following morning at 8am because that was all the care company could manage. A year of that and she started dating an abusive man who she's now marrying because that was her way out of being on her own and being left like that.

I really hope they don't do this to you again. It must feel frightening and you deserved better.

Echoing others, yes completely unacceptable. They need to provide someone else. That’s the reason you employ a company not a single person, so there’s back up if something happens. Call back and ask to speak to someone higher, explain you’re going to have to complain to the CQC/other body because they’re not fulfilling their basic duties.

It's completely unacceptable, but this is a daily reality for thousands of disabled people. Many of us had our help stopped in March and no sign of anything getting back to normal.

Floralnomad, it used to be an unusual occurrence. But then services were provided directly by LA with agencies contracted to cover shortages. In domiciliary care its privatisation that has caused poor staff retention, poor pay and conditions on Zero hr contracts, and lack of supervision and training. The contract of employment doesn't give the agencies better capacity, or flexibility, quite the reverse of what they have tried to achieve.

The real problem is a lack of carers in general, and that is caused by pay being too low. If carers earned £100,000 per year, there would be no shortage of them, but how on earth is that going to be paid for?

£100k is unreasonable, but there are other ways. A fairer wage- ie above min wage, more flexibility in hours, better support when starting (many companies claim to train people but don't, highly stressful if you're new to care), as you often need to have a car but many can't afford one on the wages- any way around this? Things that make it an appealing career for people, but also compatible with their circumstances.

I have no advice but I’m so sorry that you have been left like this, it’s absolutely not acceptable- or it shouldn’t be. I hope the agency sort things out for the rest of the week and this doesn’t happen again.

I don't have any advice either but posting to say I'm sorry to hear this, this really sucks OP.

@RB68

In situations like this of course you can have someone come in - its an emergency as you say you cant go 24 hrs without help. Finding someone might be an issue.

Zoom - go voice only, say you are not able to camera today. You can still see them etc. But also if your top half is OK then it works you change how the camera focuses on you to limit it to face/head only

I think if I were you I would try and sort some sort of back up plan as this is likely to happen more as more people have to isolate. If that is a friend or neighbour that you know also isolates or has a low circle of contacts etc.

For the future you need an emergency stash of snacks and water bottles somewhere close to where you usually are.

I do understand your frustration and the vulnerability you feel being reliant on an agency that frankly doesn't give a shit by the sounds of it

Absolutely appalling and I do hope you have emergency care sorted soon.

DB's FIL is a paraplegic (they don't have carers, his DW does all the hard work) - so I totally understand where you're coming from, it's hard work for her but he literally couldn't wash, get out of bed etc by himself, at all. He can get food from fridge, use microwave and I think boil the kettle to make hot drinks but that's as far as it goes.

I do think some sort of back up plan would be a good idea for you, can you bubble with someone?

Agreed as a few people have said sadly as more people have to self-isolate you will need a back up plan x 2 so others can help.

Is your care funded by Continuing Health Care, Adult Social Care or via yourself? If it is either CHC of ASC then phone them.

They do have a contractual obligation so I would phone again and again and get someone. We constantly had this problem when my Mum received care and I just became a pain in the arse to them.

In the long term, you should put in an official complaint and potentially complain to the Care Quality Commission.

I hope you get it sorted, what a horrible situation for you to be in.

I've run Care Agencies all my career including big Dom Care providers and I'd be horrified if someone with your vulnerability was deliberately left uncovered- even in these challenging times. Even if they can't provide the personal care, someone from the company - even from the office should perform a welfare check and make sure you have food and drink and are safe.

We currently have all packages RAG rated so with sickness and shortages we can prioritise the highest risk clients- those with no family for example or with medication that is timebound. Could you provider have assessed you as low risk? Do you have an up to date care plan?

If your care is funded through the local authority, they have to report this missed visit as it would be fraud to claim for it - agencies have KPIs in their contracts- one breach would not usually negate the contract - but if there's a pattern. they can be removed form the provider list. CQC would be an appropriate complaint escalation, but they will expect you to have gone through the providers own complaints procedure first. Your care plan should detail this.

I hope you are ok today. Thinking of you

I think sadly, with my DB's inlaws this is one of the reasons they didn't want carers in to help and wanted to do it by themselves. They luckily have a great cleaner also family friend nearby who 'helps' with hot drinks and lunch when she visits. DB's FIL (medically retired) also used to be dropped by his DW into the nearest big city where he had clubs, day classes etc - and access to cafes/restaurants etc.

Care agencies can be bad or good depending - close friend has them for her DM and has changed them once or twice.

I agree with going to social services, they will have a duty social worker if you do not have a named one.

They may not be able to get a carer to you before this evening but should be able to do something, even i it is just bringing you food.

A friend or relative is no more risk than a temporary carer even though you are shielding. Probably less risk as they won’t have been providing personal care and in and out of lots of different homes. The agency need to support you bit if they don’t please ring someone you know to help.

I used to run homecare services. This is beyond unacceptable and it is a safeguarding (attached to this is it should be reported as a missed call but it may well not be)

Firstly the on call numbers role is to resolve this. When we had emergencies (carers in accidents late call outs etc) the rule was clear either find another carer or go and do it yourself. We had a round Robin system where if it came to that they would contact another senior member of staff to take over the on call.

If it was a call centre taking on call it would ultimately be considered the manager or deputy job to complete that call if noone else could. I grant you there may be a delay in an emergency (for example if I was driving in from half an hour away to do the call) no way in hell should they have told you you just have to wait until the evening.

I am more sympathetic than most to the pressure on care services. DP teaches in them most of my friends run home care services or residential homes. It is not acceptable to say they just can't find a carer.

Please complain to LA safeguarding , in your circumstances you should be priority.

Even if you are privately funded the LA still has a statutory duty to those receiving care where care has broken down to a safeguarding (which it has). Private or not they are likely to know the company and can investigate.

I wonder at the 4% who think the OP is being unreasonable

I run a care service.

1. The phone should be answered at all times care staff are working, services usually start between 6am and 7am. for daytime calls.
2. Your situation gives you the highest priority for care, they should be prioritising you over other less dependent service users, call them back and request this.
3. Please contact the Social Services help desk immediately if your normal provider cannot help, it may well be someone in their in house team will be able to come out, or the can arrange for another service provider to help.

I struggle to comprehend how they can behave in this way to you, if they won't resolve the matter then the Local Government Ombudsman is your next port of call.