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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask to move to lone working?

11 replies

Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 21:58

I’ve been working in home care for a couple of months. I really enjoy the job itself and the clients are wonderful.

I probably sound really sensitive but it’s working with some of the other carers that I struggle with. Some of the calls are doubles which means 2 of us there, half the carers I work with are really nice but a few others make it a really unpleasant environment.

One of them I met and within 15 minutes she had slagged off 3 other carers to me, so I can just assume she’ll do the same about me.

The second one gets quite snappy with me, she’s near retirement age and has done this for a very long time, but she’ll snap at me in front of clients and I find it embarrassing. I try to stand up for myself and say “I am doing this right/I know what I’m doing” etc. She’s nice in between calls but I find her undermining. I also found out she spoke behind my back the other day.

The 3rd one is leaving soon thankfully as she is awful. It’s clear she doesn’t give a toss about the clients and just wants to do it all fast and go home. She is also a liar, I found out she doesn’t attend the bedtime calls, she logs it on her phone pretending she does but just goes home. The other night she lied to me saying she was going to a client’s house for the bedtime call, I waited and watched her and she just got straight on the bus home. I’d like to report her but I can’t prove she isn’t going as she logs it on her phone, plus as she’s leaving very soon maybe it’d be futile.

There are 2 who seem so genuine and nice but I feel like I don’t trust any of the others, most people seem to talk behind each other’s backs.

I’m thinking of asking the company if I can work in an area where there are mainly single calls. I just prefer working alone and don’t want to work with toxic/bitchy people. Or does it sound like I’m being too sensitive and need to just get over it?

OP posts:
JayniSummers · 16/09/2021 22:01

Please PLEASE tell me you are safeguarding her clients by telling your manager that your co worker isn't going to their homes when she says she is ?????? I'm sorry but if you know vunerable people are not getting the care they may desperately need , you are as guilty as her . You have a whistleblowing policy surely????

Original poster
Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 22:04

I found this out yesterday and you’re right I need to report it, the problem is I just cannot prove it at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 22:05

The vast majority of clients don’t have any cctv, some have dementia and will forget who came/who didn’t come and since it’s all logged electronically. Fortunately she’s leaving in a couple of days.

OP posts:
JayniSummers · 16/09/2021 22:08

I'm sure as hard it would be , you really need to do it , just give the facts , you can at least sleep at night knowing you did what you could x please do that tomorrow, even if she's leaving , she should never be allowed to work in care again with that behaviour

Original poster
Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 22:10

I went to her clients last night and they were fine luckily, I’ll tell them tomorrow and see if anything comes of it. Her next job is in care I think..

OP posts:
Didiusfalco · 16/09/2021 22:11

Putting aside the issue above I think you should be able to ask for and get pretty much what you want - if not where you are then somewhere. There’s a huge shortage of care workers, don’t feel like you have to put up with something that doesn’t suit you.

Original poster
Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 22:14

Yes hopefully they’ll allow it, but apparently they’re short staffed in this particular area I work in, no harm in trying though I guess.

Today I had just one 15-minute call with a 2h gap on either side. I have covered the snappy colleague’s calls several times, however I phoned and left her a msg with plenty of notice to ask if she could cover this one, just to save me coming back for only 15 minutes, left her a voicemail yet nothing. Won’t be helping her out again.

OP posts:
Mermaidpool · 16/09/2021 22:14

Do you not have some sort of log to fill in in the clients home? We have to write what we did, any meds etc. Please report it even as a suspicion not fact, these are vulnerable people with no one else to speak up for them. I wouldnt ask to work alone so I could see and report other poor practice if needed

Original poster
Ellavaday · 16/09/2021 22:18

She did the tea and bed calls in one and writes a pretend log on her phone at the time of the bed call, saying what she did.
I am going to report it tomorrow morning

OP posts:
CorpusCallosum · 16/09/2021 22:40

100% report it. Surely your managers can call the clients with capacity and ask? And if that's not possible they can do a spot check and wait for her at clients house to see if she turns up??

If you don't feel your managers have dealt with it appropriately you can report your employer directly to CQC and your local authority social care team who will investigate under safeguarding - including finding out who she has gone to work for (if in care) and following up on any future issues. You can report to local authority anonymously if you feel you need to so it won't come back to you at work.

inmyslippers · 16/09/2021 22:52

I worked in a day centre and found the other staff stressful. Service users were lovely. Began hating my job and not wanting to go in. Now I'm supported living
services and only work with one person. Wish I'd made the switch sooner

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