Carer ratio

Debbie Reads

Registered User
Jul 27, 2014
10
0
Does anybody know if there is a ratio of carers to residents which should apply in care homes? I was shocked to return from holiday and find my Mum has a number of bruises apparently caused by another resident, but it seems no carer was near enough to a) see exactly what happened or b) step in to prevent it.
 

cragmaid

Registered User
Oct 18, 2010
7,936
0
North East England
Hi Debbie, I undersand your distress at seeing your Mum bruised, but with the best will in the world and all the staff you could ever want, it is impossible to be sure that things will never happen. Bruises happen for all sorts of reasons, the elderly are more prone to them due to weaker cell walls, some medications can cause a weakness, a knock on a wall, a chair, a table and there is another mark. My own late Mum could bleed for England at the drop of a hat. Having said all that, there are times when bruises can be caused by abuse, and sadly Dementia can cause behaviour changes causing physical attacks.

I googled " ratios of care staff to Care Home Residents" and found this : http://www.rqia.org.uk/cms_resources/Staffing Guidelines for Residential Care Homes.pdf

Now this relates to 2009 and Residential care home settings, but there may be more up to date ones known to other members.

Good Luck .... Maureen.
 

Debbie Reads

Registered User
Jul 27, 2014
10
0
Hi Debbie, I undersand your distress at seeing your Mum bruised, but with the best will in the world and all the staff you could ever want, it is impossible to be sure that things will never happen. Bruises happen for all sorts of reasons, the elderly are more prone to them due to weaker cell walls, some medications can cause a weakness, a knock on a wall, a chair, a table and there is another mark. My own late Mum could bleed for England at the drop of a hat. Having said all that, there are times when bruises can be caused by abuse, and sadly Dementia can cause behaviour changes causing physical attacks.

I googled " ratios of care staff to Care Home Residents" and found this : http://www.rqia.org.uk/cms_resources/Staffing Guidelines for Residential Care Homes.pdf

Now this relates to 2009 and Residential care home settings, but there may be more up to date ones known to other members.

Good Luck .... Maureen.

Thanks Maureen, that's useful info. I know Mum is no angel and can appreciate that it was probably 'six of one and half a dozen of the other' but she does not bruise easily and has one very large grab mark, a peppering of smaller ones on both forearms, one on her jaw and several small scratches near her eye, so it must have been a significant hoo-ha! This comes on top of family noticing how residents are frequently left unsupervised for protracted periods. I wonder if the carers are badly managed or if there are just too few of them. Onward and upward!
 

OlKlein

Registered User
Mar 10, 2015
13
0
Thanks Maureen, that's useful info. I know Mum is no angel and can appreciate that it was probably 'six of one and half a dozen of the other' but she does not bruise easily and has one very large grab mark, a peppering of smaller ones on both forearms, one on her jaw and several small scratches near her eye, so it must have been a significant hoo-ha! This comes on top of family noticing how residents are frequently left unsupervised for protracted periods. I wonder if the carers are badly managed or if there are just too few of them. Onward and upward!

The care ratio for the care home my grandma was in was 1 to 8, 3 carers for 24 people! My grandma had bruises too and no one could ever tell us what had happened.. after 4 months, we brought her back home because her health deteriorated so quickly and she stoppped talking and eating. She is much better now.
 

Sooty2

Registered User
Jun 1, 2015
30
0
Hi,
Generally there are no set staffing ratios within care homes but obviously they must also be safe for both staff and residents alike, however 1 to 8 is not uncommon and to be honest Iv worked in many up and down the country as a trainer and regularly see the same issues. The main problem is the culture that has developed within many places where staff are driven by task and that many people with dementia solely exist rather than live, emphasis is on the task and doing rather than creating a home. The home Im based in now as a trainer has recognised this and we are working toward being a butterfly care home, changing our environment and making the home a vibrant stimulating place, changing the attitudes of the staff team however is no small task, and for those not with us on our journey they will have to move on.
 

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