Should care home staff have unpacked hospital bags after discharge?

[BeaTwix]

I care for an elderly relative. Not my parent. I call them EPICF [elderly person I care for]. They have been in hospital recently and were discharged back to their care home 12 days ago. They have dementia which is why they are in care as home wasn’t safe anymore.

I live a long way away so today was my first opportunity to visit.

I found the bags that EPICF had had in hospital full of stuff (including heavily soiled laundry in a separate NHS bag inside the main bag) sitting on the floor of their care home room today. So the staff didn’t fully unpack for them when they returned to the care home. They aren’t capable of unpacking and their laundry is put away for them normally and I’ve labelled all the storage in the room to try to help both staff and EPICF find things.

I’m really upset about this (mostly the soiled laundry tbh) and messaged my siblings to let them know. One of my siblings has indicated that this isn’t a big deal as this sort of stuff was commonplace when EPICF lived at home and I should just leave it as we aren’t paying for one to one care just a bed in a care home.

Whereas I think it is really really is a big deal and that someone should have unpacked and sent stuff to the laundry upon EPICF’s return not left it festering in their room for 12 days.

Opinions welcome.

@stichguru @Oliwiaa

I found the bags that EPICF had had in hospital full of stuff (including heavily soiled laundry in a separate NHS bag inside the main bag) sitting on the floor of their care home room today

Just there on the floor, they must have been looking at them for nearly two weeks, that’s not acceptable. If they don’t have time it should have been passed on to the next shift, or taken to the laundry room or something. I don’t know where the care home is, but most of the UK has been in various heatwaves recently. It shouldn’t take OP visiting for anyone to bring this to their attention.

And it was multiple staff, not one overworked carer.

It’s so sad - our expectations are now so low

and pp said only paying for bed in care home - hardly at 2k a week!

I’ve worked in many care homes and this is something I’d expect to be dealt with when they arrive back. Certainly not still left 12 days later on the floor as it’s a trip hazard and unhygienic.

To be honest I’d have probably thrown them all out if they were that grotty!!! When my Dad was alive I had this afew times sending bag yucky stuff I just binned it and bought new fresh things.

Did you discuss this with anyone at the home? Might they say they were not here so not our task but then fees were still being paid.

@Besidemyselfwithworry they could have chucked them. That wouldn’t bother me.

Just don’t leave them on the floor not dealt with.

@savemydrawers i did speak to the staff.

And got attitude from the HCA who told me she wasn’t on shift when EPICF came back.

At which point I said I wasn’t blaming her but a lot of care home staff would have been in the room over the last twelve days and I was sad that no one had dealt with it.

I tried to find nurse in charge but couldn’t. So I messaged the duty phone and haven’t had a reply.

sigh.

If it's smelly like you say surely it's a health hazard? We'd never dream of leaving dirty bags in our kids' rooms, so why should an older person, who presumably spends a lot of time in there, have to deal with it?
They won't be the only person to go in/out of hospital, so yes say something, they need to look at their processes so this doesn't happen again.

Hi, can I please ask how the process was setting up with CQC and obtaining referrals?
how did you get referrals in the beginning

So for 12 days “care” staff negotiated their way around the room and ignored a bag of belongings and soiled linen? And housekeeping staff ran the mop round the floor while swerving the bag of belongings!! I’ve spent many years as a nurse in a care home and I would be appalled at such low standards.

Complain to the home manager in writing. Without mentioning to the care home, I would also register a complaint with the care quality commission. You’ll be doing the residents of this care home a big favour. The standard of care sounds very low and your example will be the tip of the iceberg. The CQC will hopefully do an unannounced inspection.

www.google.com/url?q=www.cqc.org.uk/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi1jYne-pGWAxXbZkEAHSPQE5kQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3uMBWj424iLuLJQLY5H9JC

@BeaTwix get an email address and you can use AI to help include some trigger words. Ask who is in charge of your elderly relatives care plan. Put it in email, if the staffs initial reaction was to argue rather than sort it out, sounds like it needs to be in writing.

I know some care homes and hospitals aren’t allowed because it’s not their property- I used to have a go at the school nursery sending dirty pants home in bags stinking out I emailed the governors in the end and said they need a bin policy as soiled stuff stinks!!
never had the issue with my childminder I said just bin anything grotty but I think it depends on their policies but I agree I think either deal with it or bin it.

My guess is that there is one of the staff who should have done it and everyone else is sick of picking up the slack for them, so didn't.

Write an email to the manager saying what happened. Say there is no need to apologise or write back but in future if there is soiled underwear they are free to throw it out as long as they inform you that it needs replacing. And they probably need to tighten up their procedures for residents returning from hospital.

Some care homes offer an inadequate standard of care and this is one of them. If your relative had no visitors to umpack and settle them in, care staff should have been aware and sorted it. Nobody feels personally responsible which is grim. You could complain but the pressing question now is what else they are missing.

Of course the laundry should have been sorted out and washed. It goes without saying, it's part of her care.

My mother was in a dementia care home for 8 years and had two hospital stays during that time. During the last four years she was doubly incontinent. I visited regularly, and I never saw any dirty laundry in her room, it was always immediately washed and put away by the carers. She was in a standard dementia care home, nothing fancy, but the standard of care was very good.

Leaving a bag of soiled laundry for one day, never mind twelve days, is a hygiene and trip risk. It is quite troubling that multiple staff must have walked past and ignored it.

OP you need to put a complaint in writing (email) to the manager. I would not speak to individual carers about it.

It’s appalling they didn’t unpack it and send the dirty clothes to the laundry. It’s a very basic thing and their job! It’s a health hazard to leave it there, plus they’re the ones who do the cleaning, laundry and caring. That’s what you’re paying for!

My elderly relative in a CH gets very infrequent visits due to distance etc. The CH has always packed her a bag to take with her to hospital when admitted, then unpacked and sorted out on return.

I’d definitely have a word with them. In this heat as well, soiled clothes would become a health hazard very quickly.

I've worked in care for ten years, in home care, care homes and now for the NHS. Unpacking and washing clothes after a hospital stay should be a given! If one of my residents had had their soiled clothes left to fester for days after a hospital stay I would be livid. Ensuring their clothes are cleaned and cared for is part of the service of living in a home and they've really dropped the ball here. I think stern words with the man would not be uncalled for, with date stamped photos if you can (they can be right buggers for trying to brush this kind of thing off).

If soiled clothes had been found in a residents room the day after their return from a hospital stay, the staff who had been supposedly looking after them on the shift when they came back to the home would be reprimanded in every home I ever worked in. It's neglect.

I’m a qualified nurse and wouldnt accept this on my watch

Not sure why the HCA gave attitude. They were called out on their laziness, slovenliness and lack of professionalism. They need to up their game