It was me who made the comment regarding most care homes need to be whistle blown on. I stand by it. I also stand by the fact that even after whistle blowing not much gets done. Anybody here who’s relatives have received good care then I believe that is the exception and not the rule. Feel free to disagree.
In the city I live in I do believe this to be true. I have worked in many of them via an agency. There are very, very few that provide good care. If this upsets people then what am I supposed to do? Stay quiet? No these issues need to be discussed. They don’t end well on mumsnet which lets face it is a middle class demographic and there will be very few people here who have worked as carers.
Game face most certainly is a thing.
i could write essays on this subject so stuggle to articulate it all into a few short paragraphs.
My mother was a nurse who managed many, many homes within this city. Usually to raise standards. Multiple times she reported homes to CQC and multiple times she was met with barriers….. so…. So SO many barriers. Structural ones that she as a practitioner could not over ride.
There are many, many stories she too has experienced managing these homes and she is currently writing a book about her life working within them. She managed to close a whole chain of care homes in this city and she received death threats from the owners who themselves couldn’t give a shiny shite about the residents but wanted to harm my mother for stopping their (very lucrative income).
She has regularly forked out on fish and chip takeaways for residents when the food has ran out (and she’s never once got these expenses back but who in the right mind can sit back knowing residents will go hungry?)
This isn’t a dig at care staff themselves. They go above and beyond, but they can only do so much when they face long, long hours particularly on rubbish pay. Too many care needs not enough staff. Untrained agency workers hoisting people dangerously etc etc etc etc! Pads being LIMITED to 4 a day, and If you shit yourself again then good luck with that. Pressure sores not being treated, care plans not being followed.
Oh gosh, lost my trail of thought now.
Like I said I’ve worked in many homes within my city and I absolutely shudder at the thought of going in one and this is a view that is shared by many of the carers I myself have come into contact with over the years. Personally we would love the ignorance that people live with. Unfortunately you cannot unsee what you have seen. This is why good people leave the sector. It creates a moral injury within to stay and witness such events.
This post hasn’t been written to upset people but neither should I sugar coat mine and my mothers experiences. They are quite often brutal and unforgiving places to set foot in.