Would you expect a care home to stay with care user when going to urgent care/ a&e

[itispersonal]

Anyone in the know - have an elderly dementia aunt in a care home. Had a fall 2 weeks ago no fracture but had a moon boot. Stopped weight bearing on foot over the last few days and knee swollen a little bit. Care home and a carer took aunty to urgent care but called my elderly mum to come and be with her as they couldn’t stay due to staffing! 10 hours later after being transferred to OOT drs and then to a&e they are back home.

mum has been in tears it is too much for her, she can’t push the wheelchair, help her physically or emotionally. I went to help later in the afternoon but couldn’t help with transport as couldn’t get wheelchair in car. And hard for me to help aunty move.

should care home be staying with aunty? What would happen if my mum didn’t go? Aunty has children but they aren’t involved, and aren’t emotional attached if aunty is at the hospital on her own. Whereas my mum and I are.

No the care home shouldn’t be staying, it’s very common that they deliver & then hand it over to family. They have strict staffing rules, they can’t be away from the home if they are included in the ratio’s and it’s not safe to have someone at the hospital.

Aunty has an appointment tomorrow at fracture clinic so mum having to take her to that! It’s too much, but my job doesn’t easily allow for time off (teacher) And especially for an aunt

If they don’t have the numbers to spare a longer period then they have no option. If a carer does go the resident will likely be billed for that time.

I get the ratios and they don’t have many staff on shift in general. Think it’s 7 or 8 over 3 floors, as it’s a care home.

But what do those without family support do?

I would have expected them to. PP appears to know the correct answer.

What if there's no local family? Or just no family at all? Do social services cover?

Is there not patient transfer available that could take your aunt? L
I mean this kindly, would you really expect that care home to take them to a medical appointment?

If your aunty didn't have able relatives it would probably be patient transport that would take her to the appointment and home from hospital etc. Not care home staff.

I have no experience, yes I would expect it or for them to arrange appropriate transport and care.

My parents are 6 hours away and I have special needs DC. What on earth would I do?

Sorry op, didn't mean to derail. I really feel for you.

My DM’s nursing home arrange patient transport and charge £35 per hour per member of staff to accompany residents to appointments.

I hope your aunt is ok. As @Mrsttcno1 says, the care home cannot go beyond these duties.

It sounds like your mum isn’t in a position to help as an emergency contact? Can you explore additional care routes or ensure her needs are documented within plan, though these services are chronically under resourced. Is it worth telling auntys kids that this has happened and they need to step up?

Imagine they had 2 or 3 elderly people that needed a&e or a doctors visit, how would they staff that and the home? A carer can’t spend 10 hours in urgent care or a&e. When my elderly grandparents needed to go to a&e my DM or her siblings used to go with.

they don’t usually stay either, as I had to use them when I had a broken ankle for transport and assistance out of my house- 3 storey house and had been living on 2nd floor. That was a scary experience even with full capacity as I was lost in the system and left in a corridor and that was just for a fracture follow up.

Said to mum- would be happy to pay someone to wait with them. Aunt has a lot of money and could afford to do this. I’m coming at it from looking after my mum pov as she’s my main priority and can’t cope with it and she has health issues too!

Think we would be happier for them to do this and my mum could wait for a little while with them. Without the full responsibility being on my mum.

They won’t care- one is non contact had her money and ran.
and the other doesn’t care enough for it to impact their life. They are self employed but can’t take time off for appointments etc. visit as and when

What would additional care routes involve a new care home or just paid provision for hospital visits etc?

Could you DM asked to be removed as the emergency contact?

No the care home don't stay with the residents. The Family or friends are informed but if no one is available the hospital have to look after them till discharged. Patient transport will pick them up and take them to hospital appointments . I hope your Aunt makes a good recovery OP.

Has one you at least got power of attorney?

No we haven’t! Aunty had psychosis before going into a home. So hadn’t been able to get it done.
Council have applied for POA as we didn’t want to step on people’s toes due to the finances, which was a mistake.

Oh no that’s does make things more difficult as if she now doesn’t have capacity you can’t get it. Dealing with getting old is very hard.

Have you asked if this is possible, providing extra staff are available?

It is. Luckily I have sorted it all for my mum with an LPA so have learnt from it.

No but think that might be the next conversation to have with the care home.

My DM has sorted it early too, because she went through it with my DGF.

No outside of the care home that person is the families responsibility and no longer in the “care” of the home if in Hospital