When will things ever change in the care industry?

[Cheesestring11]

This morning, given 10 people to see between 7:15 and 11:30am, some are 2 miles apart.
Going as fast as I can but still ending up late. Just had a client's son swearing because of how late i was. He said he's mad at the company not me, and several others have said that.
I've had some new calls today and because I don't know their usual times (times on the rota are random, not necessarily their preference) some weren't happy.
I've told the company this before as have others, but they say they've no other staff for that run and can we just 'squeeze it in' just for that day.
Everyone always says that something needs to be done about this industry and pay needs to go up etc but that's not likely go ever happen. You end up trying to plan how you can do it in the quickest time possible and that's not fair on clients. Luckily this is only my 2nd income, I've started applying for care home work instead

While women make up the bulk of the workforce it will be a long time. Company definitely to blame!

It's run for profit by private companies who obviously want to pay as little as possible.

We get paid £9.20 an hour for it, it's laughable. The calls were all back to back with not even 5 minutes travel time allocated between any of them .

I can’t see it changing either, we run out lorry drivers they could take their puck with pay and bonus’s. Care sector has massive staff shortages and look mim wage Mim wage mim wage. The stupid care adverts I keep seeing are so far from reality is laughable. Im a Disabled adult I had argue why it would take more than 15min get up showered dressed in the morning not 30min with a social worker. Who are all these people in adverts have time with carer for visit to beach fish and chips and going swimming?

All these extra billions going into Social care where is it going? It’s not into pay pockets or to give Disabled people enough care hours to actual live rather than mim of care.

It’s awful. You have no job security so you can’t do anything but plan your exit if you’re lucky enough to have other options. The clients are scared of losing the tiny bit of help they get and are afraid to challenge it. Meanwhile these companies are pocketing the profits of exploiting two vulnerable groups. It’s criminal.

My dad was allocated 2 hrs per day, 1 in the morning and evening, paid for by the tax payer and outsourced to a care company. In reality he gets a very rushed 10 minutes (often less). It has taken him time to build rapport and trust with these carers and be comfortable receiving intimate care. He’s afraid to speak up.

It won't be changing for the better.

My husband's carer is supposed to come at 8.45, they usually appear after 10am except at the weekends, the days I have help and could have a lay in, those days they turn up at 8am and are gone by 8.25. I don't have the fight in me to keep complaining to the office (but nor do I shout at the carers). And now he is actually dying it looks like I will be doing it on my own as Marie Curie haven't got the staff to help me. I won't let him down but the system has and will continue to do so because, unless it affects you directly (the carers and the families), no-one seems to really care about the strain we are under.

I work for a not for profit care provider. We give ample travel time (paid) and pay above minimum wage and treat our staff decently but we can’t up wages any more than they are due to how much we are paid from the council. It’s a hard job and one I couldn’t do - last minute changes, begging people to come in on their annual leave because of sickness (especially Covid) but we don’t accept anything under 1 hour as it just not realistic. Our staff do get to go out for walks and have fish and chips etc with the people we support because I work for a good organisation that often swallows extra costs to enable our staff to properly support people. Not all care providers are arseholes - some organisations are genuinely person centred.
Having said all that - it is still so bloody hard and I can’t see it changing in my lifetime.

I worked in the care sector for 20 years, and it was like you describe many years ago. The companies charge the clients, on average, £25 - £35 an hour, yet pay carers minimum wage - £12 an hour, and usually a paltry £25p a mile petrol. I was like you, trying to see to 10 - 15 people in a morning.

It won't change. I don't blame you for leaving, but working in a care home is not much better (I've done that too).

Try to apply for a local authority run care home, pay and conditions are far superior to the private sector. Or Hospice at Home services tend to allow much more time between clients and pay standard NHS pay scales.

It will change when the consumer can afford to pay more. The state has no money left, people paying for private care through agencies are generally looking for lowest price.

Have you looked at contracting directly to clients or live in work?

The state has decided that a huge variation between rich and poor is acceptable so it doesn't have the tax revenues to pay more and most people don't have the cash either

The state could do it if they really wanted but it would upset thier mates

Yes, it will get much worse.

ASC had a blank check for COVID up until last October. We are now going to see a return to cost cutting, only it will be worse than before because of the insurmountable backlog, over 10 years of austerity, crumbling health service and increased complexity of work.

People keep saying social care is on the verge of collapse. As somebody who has worked in it for many years I can confidently say this is untrue. Its not on the verge. It has effectively collapsed.

I'm a community nurse. This morning on my calls list I had 6 diabetic patients, spread out around the town all requiring blood glucose monitoring and insulin at 9am - now, no matter how hard I work I cannot be in 6 places at once. We are constantly told about holistic care and the need to not be task oriented, think of the big picture etc. HA! The reality was I was rushing like mad between patients as it's so bloody unsafe. It used to be unusual for things to be this bad but it seems like it has just become the new normal. Grim.

@Asdf12345

It will change when the consumer can afford to pay more. The state has no money left, people paying for private care through agencies are generally looking for lowest price.

Have you looked at contracting directly to clients or live in work?

How are people born with profound disabilities going to ever be able to pay more? You know this is were most of the spending is right?

Its awful. I work in a privately run care home. Many days there are just three or four members of care staff working with up to 25 residents. It's horrendous, backbreaking Labour for 12 hours and no breaks at all,
More than two thirds of those residents need two people to move, wash, change and dress them. Quite often the staff on shift are not trained in moving and handling so it's all done illegally. More than once, residents have missed meals and have been left wet or soiled for far longer than is humane.

I swear, the only reason they only allow pre booked visiting is so that the care staff can be told to leave everyone else til later and make sure that the resident is done first and everything looks okay. The big bosses are taking over £1K a week for dementia patients and over £500 a week for the remainder. It's been reported to the CIW more than once.

I left after I turned up to a 90 year old on the floor and due to my similarily ridiculous timetable and ambulance pressures was told to just leave her where she was as an ambulance could be 7-8 hours. I couldn't do it anymore.

I don't know what the answer is really