To think people look down on care assistants

[Fjdowkrialkakvk]

And many other low paid jobs in general.
I went to university but I work predominantly as a HCA. I also work one day a week in a 'professional' role related to my degree.
Fortunately I am a relatively well-paid care assistant, earning £2 an hour more than the minimum wage. Many care homes or companies pay the bare minimum wage. I also get time and a half on all bank holidays which not everyone does.

Part of my role involves community care. I've had a client's daughter tell me she was 'surprised' i was in this role as I seemed intelligent and like I had more to offer.
I just take comments like that as tone deaf. I've also had some families of clients who clearly look down at you even though you're assisting their family member to live.
Just earlier I was at a lady's home and her granddaughter was there staying for a couple of days. She asked me to go and do her Grandma's washing up.
The Granddaughter could have bloody done it herself, it's just laziness and probably thinking they're too good to do it themselves.

It's considered a low skill role, and there's a common misconception that high pay must always mean high responsibility and vice versa.

I am physically and verbally assaulted by dementia residents, deal with medication and care equipment, I believe care assistants have a lot of responsibility. Luckily we have many appreciative residents and families.

Has anybody ever felt that such work is looked down upon or considered lowly?

The care sector also needs people with specific skills. If there were ways to progress it would become a more attractive option. People with complex needs may need more specialist staff.

I do agree in part but I work with children and young people with severe learning disabilities and often very challenging behaviour - very complex patients and we can not recruit staff and are all close to burn out due to short staffing -and some of my most experienced and competent colleagues who are brilliant at building relationships with our patients are those that don't have a levels or degrees but have resilience and confidence . I'm on paper overqualified for my role but learn so much from these colleagues and struggle a lot more than them - my a levels and degree aren't that useful when I'm trying to engage with an aggressive teenager in crisis ! I'm just wary of anything that could put off people applying that may have strengths that aren't always evident on an application form .

Maverickess

He only needed assistance getting in the shower with one person. She was too lazy to help him and would ring her taxi to leave early. She completely blanked him when he split hot coco over himself as she was watching TV, he has terminal cancer and shakes. I was a nurse previously this is completely with holding care is appalling there's just no excuse. The.care company have had aload of rubbish carers who have just applied to get a job, the amazing ones move on to better jobs.

@Countdownis35 Thank you! That was spooky when I first read that, wondering if your psychic - yes I'm doing physio! I know what you mean about nursing, and even with nurses I have on occasion heard rubbish like 'just a band five' no one should be reduced to a number or a 'just'

@PrivateHall That's such a kind comment thank you

I must admit ive had a couple of relatives in care homes, and they've been looked after really poorly by people who don't seem to have had training, and tbh coming across as lacking in empathy or any knowledge of how to do the job.

And that says it all. These jobs are poorly paid, and yet the expectation is that the roles will be filled by people with empathy, and who are prepared to do a good job. And of course, those are exactly the types of people who should go into care work. Yet how often on MN have I seen posters suggesting that anyone who is unemployed go into care work - suggesting that it is something anyone can do, no matter whether or not they are actually suited to the work. Care work should be much more highly regarded, and higher paid than it is - and only then might the right sort of person be tempted to go into it. Incidentally, I am unemployed myself at present and would not go into care work as I know that I would not be good enough - fortunately I have options which means I don't have to take any available job, but feel very sorry for those who don't and end up doing work they hate, for litte reward.

[quote Yerroblemom1923]@Scooby5kids I certainly wouldn't ask someone to wash the dishes if I could do it myself! Care workers are given minutes between appointments to get from one to the other - hence their timing isn't always 100% because the people organising the rotas don't know how long it actually takes to get from A to B.
Rarely are they paid travel time or for their "breaks". I think what people don't realise is that, although they may pay £20 an hr for Jill to come and look after Grandad, Jill gets less than half of that! They are not paid enough to care (fortunately they're are a good few eggs who are genuinely in the role because they DO care!) and greedy care companies are getting away with this farce of a system. It really does need a proper overhaul, to be recognised seriously and on a par with NHS staff at the v least.[/quote]
I know how it works, I've done the job. I always used to just do what was written in the care plan for each visit unless I was told I didn't have to but i never just assume ld I wouldn't have to do something because the person had a visitor

@Countdownis35 I've done the job so I know how it works. You go to the clients house and you're supposed to do everything that is specified to do in the care plan for each visit. Obviously if it's not in the care plan then you don't do it, but if it's a listed job for a visit then it's part of the job. What do you mean "how dare you"? I'm just telling it how it is. It used to piss me off how colleagues got out of doing stuff and cut corners. It's not a friend or relatives job to do the jobs in the care plan, that's why the person has carers in the first place!

The work you do is SO important and is underpaid, and that’s the problem. The low salary doesn’t normally attract highly qualified people or people that genuinely care.

Unfortunately some people have had a negative experience of care workers. We had night carers for dd, employed by the local authority. Their job was predominantly to ensure dd didn’t stop breathing (she had a respiratory condition). They were paid to sit in her room and watch her/ do anything related to her care. On more than one occasion we found them asleep, which could easily have been life threatening. We know one poor family whose child died after the carer fell asleep and the breathing support became disconnected, so my experience is not good. I do know of some fantastic carers though, who are worth their weight in gold.

Yes, these types of jobs are definitely looked down upon. Any job that is very easy to get and requires very little to no qualifications etc are not going to be seen as particularly impressive. That's just how it is. However, I have always thought care home work should be a highly qualified job! It should pay very well, it should require qualifications etc, because it is so so important. But it's never going to happen because there's just no profit there.. People only care about money. It's sad.

[quote Scooby5kids]@Countdownis35 I've done the job so I know how it works. You go to the clients house and you're supposed to do everything that is specified to do in the care plan for each visit. Obviously if it's not in the care plan then you don't do it, but if it's a listed job for a visit then it's part of the job. What do you mean "how dare you"? I'm just telling it how it is. It used to piss me off how colleagues got out of doing stuff and cut corners. It's not a friend or relatives job to do the jobs in the care plan, that's why the person has carers in the first place! [/quote]
You've made your own narrative up. Cutting corners... is a possibilty but you have veered off topic. People may do that in all jobs? Or is it unique to carers?

Where ever you work there's always a lazy colleague..

In any MN thread about earnings, people on 6 figure + salaries always talk about how they worked hard/smart/took opportunities etc to get where they are, and often the high salary is justified by higher mental load and responsibility. I often compare this with say, care assistants, nurses, teachers etc. There is a huge amount of responsibility (often for people's lives) for very little pay.
I have always known care work was badly paid, and I've never looked down in HCAs but was really only exposed to the realities involved when my dad needed care. I couldn't believe how much responsibility they had for probably minimum wage.

I was a healthcare for 15 years and then had the opportunity to do my nursing associate. I got the shit end of the stick off some staff and relatives as a HCA . Now I'm qualified, yes I pay the nmc , it's no better. I was looking after a patient who needed iv fluids. That's out of my remit . So asked a band 5 to do it for me. The response from the family was that I was a glorified HCA and that I wasn't qualified enough to look after their family member. Thankfully we had a good doctor who stepped in.
Years back whilst working as a HCA on icu , I had family having a pop as it took us an hour to deal with patient. Been called a shit shoveler.
I started on the bank in 2005 and paid £5.65 an hour.
17 years later I earn £5 more.

The HCA I work with are my back bone. I wouldn't be able to do my job properly without them. I know this as due to staffing I frequently do not have a HCA in my bay, I aways thank them at the end of a shift. I would be a HCA again tomorrow if I could.

Yes. I know I probably shouldn't, but it's a low paid job with terrible working conditions and a lot of demands and I can't help but think the only reason somebody would do that job long term is if they weren't able to find anything else. It's a shame because it is a necessary job and I have known some lovely people who have done it - but all of those people have done it for a year or two max before retraining/moving on because they could get better options.

Underpaid too often goes hand in hand with undervalued and unappreciated, sadly. Agree with pp about the 'traditionally women's work" point, too

We are undervalued as well by the people who always say they would never put a loved one in a care home, or have people they didn’t know coming into their home looking after them.

That they love their parents/grandparents so much they would do it all themselves.

Those are the people who have never faced dementia or any other mental and/or physically debilitating disease.

It’s impossible to do yourself without damaging your own health and relationships and finances but people don’t realise that until they have seen it.

I love my dad. And believe me, I have worked in some terrible homes with staff who should never be let near a vulnerable person. I’ve worked in places I wouldn’t board a dog in, let alone let a loved one live in. I’ve been sacked twice for whistleblowing. So I know the stigma.

And thank god I knew what to look out for when choosing a place for him to live.

Those two places were huge chains as well but they would employ anyone. Staff lasted a couple of months at most.

@drinkingwineoutofamug

I was a healthcare for 15 years and then had the opportunity to do my nursing associate. I got the shit end of the stick off some staff and relatives as a HCA . Now I'm qualified, yes I pay the nmc , it's no better. I was looking after a patient who needed iv fluids. That's out of my remit . So asked a band 5 to do it for me. The response from the family was that I was a glorified HCA and that I wasn't qualified enough to look after their family member. Thankfully we had a good doctor who stepped in. Years back whilst working as a HCA on icu , I had family having a pop as it took us an hour to deal with patient. Been called a shit shoveler. I started on the bank in 2005 and paid £5.65 an hour. 17 years later I earn £5 more.

The HCA I work with are my back bone. I wouldn't be able to do my job properly without them. I know this as due to staffing I frequently do not have a HCA in my bay, I aways thank them at the end of a shift. I would be a HCA again tomorrow if I could.

I can see how patients and family get confused there is far too many uncessary roles. Band 4 and Band 4 registered so what is the Band 5?

The fact is all these roles are exploting the staff and saving on a Band 5 role. There's no way I would be doing a Band 4 role.. I don't think there's a huge difference in salary I would rather pick up Weekends to make up the salary difference.

[quote JollyWilloughby]@Ameanstreakamilewide

Ironic really considering ward clerks are often a band lower on the pay scale than the bum washers. What a delightful MIL you have.[/quote]
But, but, but, she's on first name terms with the doctors, dontchanow? 🤨
So she gets a vicarious 'high and mighty' thrill from that.

She's a lovely lady for the most part, but the snobbery and general looking down her nose at people drives me mad.

@Ameanstreakamilewide

I can’t tolerate it though. How does she know she will not need personal care one day? People always think that’s for “the others” when the reality is we have no idea what is ahead of us.

I’ve done personal care in the past when I was a carer. One service user in particular was a male in his mid 40s who’s NHS hip operation went so terribly wrong that he was disabled afterwards. One wrong move during the personal care and his hip was in danger of dislocating. He spent his days in agony although was very much all there upstairs.

It did actually dislocate on a number of occasions (usually agency untrained carers). This was despite the man in question warning anybody new to be careful.

I have so much respect for the people who trained me the correct way to “bum wash”. I know I made a difference back then treating people like him with respect and dignity.

@Bananarama21

Maverickess

He only needed assistance getting in the shower with one person. She was too lazy to help him and would ring her taxi to leave early. She completely blanked him when he split hot coco over himself as she was watching TV, he has terminal cancer and shakes. I was a nurse previously this is completely with holding care is appalling there's just no excuse. The.care company have had aload of rubbish carers who have just applied to get a job, the amazing ones move on to better jobs.

With holding care is not acceptable, however my point really was that those of us who decline to do things because they're unsafe or would land you on the wrong end of a safeguarding are also written off as lazy and incompetent - because of the general view towards the job, too when that couldn't be further from the truth. Seems that wasn't the case in your dad's case and I'm sorry for that, it's an awful position to be in.

Thing is though, why do the amazing ones move on? And why do companies continue to employ people who aren't suitable?

Because 'anyone' can do the job, but not anyone can do it well. I do it well, I'm hindered by stupid staffing/resident ratio levels, lack of resources and the drive for profit, but I really do my best for the people I look after within those confines and then get blamed for the confines, and made to feel like something someone stepped in by a fair few people because of the wage I earn for it and I'm getting out because it's soul destroying.
The care industry is fraught with problems, and trying to navigate them, fight them and draw attention to them has taken it's toll. Most of the good ones leave because they either want more, or because they really do care and can't keep feeling like I do - I think it's called 'moral injury' and means you're forced into delivering care you know isn't right by available resources and circumstances.

I've been reading this morning on groups for care workers about the recruitment and retention scheme for the social care sector, payments made by LA's to care providers to increase recruitment and retention of staff, as a bonus to existing staff that worked through the pandemic, the providers apply for it and then decide how to use it.
Some workers are saying that their companies are using it to pay the increase in the nmw, fund the on call system, on admin and they've seen nothing of it, it's being used only for new starter sweeteners, and others are saying their company hasn't bothered to apply - a government payment 'advertised' for want of a better word as a boost to the actual workers in the job, to retain people they already have and to attract new people, being pocketed by providers.

In a nutshell, that's the problem in social care, private companies exploiting their workforce and then bleating that they can't get staff.

It's happened for years, short staffed shifts? Well the company pockets the wage (that they're paid by or on behalf of service users to provide care) while the care assistants work harder and the service users don't get enough care, but the staff don't get extra pay, the residents don't get a refund. It needs stopping, cost cutting for the sake of profits and shareholders at the expense of the people paying and the workforce is the majority of the problem in social care.

@Maverickess

Moral injury. Thank you for that term I am going to research that. I could not stay and participate in poor care any longer.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/12/nhs-staff-moral-injury-distress-associated-with-war-zones-pandemic

@JollyWilloughby

This is one of the articles I read, most of the articles are in relation to social workers, doctors and other HCPs and no mention of care assistants. I have no gripe with those professionals at all, they went through hell and they deserve support, help and understanding. But it just seems like care workers have been forgotten in this, almost like because we're 'unskilled' it just didn't happen to us. No acknowledgment, no support, no understanding, just demands and shitty attitudes.

I do realise though that my state of mind right now may be clouding my view, but then the flip side to that is that state of mind is a result of all those things.