Care Homes

[Laylabud]

Good Evening

My Mum has been in a care home now for nearly 5 years and in the last few months things have started to decline within the home, namely staff shortages and some of the carers attitude is questionable? There is about 33 residents all with dementia, a lot that are bed bound, walkers and those that are chair bound. The staff ratio on some nights are 2 because of staff phoning in sick and now over the weekend there were 5 staff on from 8am to 2pm and from 2pm to 8pm there was only 4, this seems to be happening more and more. In the longue there is a wipe board that have the carers and staff nurses names on duty so we as relatives can see who is on duty and who is in charge, tonight i have been to see my Mum and now apparantly the management has bought in a new rule that they will no longer be displaying who is on duty. I feel very insulted as in my opinion it is being hidden from view because they do not want us to know when they are short staffed. I know for a fact that a lot of relatives have put a lot of complaints in to the managment, me included and we are just being fobbed off and treated like idiots. I can see corners being cut, residents suffering, my Mum has lost about 4kg in weight in a month and i being told she is at the end stage of the illness, that is a possible but i am wondering if that there are other factors involved here! Does anyone know if by law they have to display how many staff are on duty?

 

[JPG1]

Does anyone know if by law they have to display how many staff are on duty?

I don't know of any law that requires that, Laylabud. Why don't you contact the CQC and ask to be put in touch with the CQC Inspector for that particular home? Then, you can ask as many questions as you wish, and you will also be able to explain your concerns. It may be that any problems with staffing will be nipped in the bud before they can escalate out of control.

That's what I would do if in a similar position.

 

[Laylabud]

Thank you for the prompt reply! I have thought about the CQC, one of the other relatives has complained they were told they do not act on individual complaints, they make note of them and and speak to the home concerned on their next visit.

 

[jenniferpa]

Do you know (that is, were you told directly) that they will no longer be using this "on duty" board? Because sometimes people (even staff) make assumptions.

Having said that, I'm not sure that there are any regulations about displaying who is on duty, at least not in this manner. However, if you are unhappy with the care your mother is receiving, for whatever reason, you obviously need to follow up with management. I would be particularly concerned with carer's attitudes, since that is obviously going to impact all areas of care. Staff shortages can lead to staff dissatisfaction and it's the residents that end up paying the price.

 

[TinaT]

Please do report this to the CQC. This situation also happened in my husband's care home, staff shortages, staff not turning up for shifts and leaving a fraction of carers to cope and the subseqent deterioration in staff care and staff moral.

My situation ended in my taking my husband out of the home and into a hospice where for the first time in any care establishment, I saw what really good care is. My tragedy is that I didn't do something about this until he was at the very end of his life.

I know that the CQC have issued a new policy which promises to take up any complaints made and they now have a section on their website where complaints can be made.

I'm so very sorry that you are going through almost the same situation I have been through. I thought that by using a local authority home this situation would not happen. I was wrong. The local authority have cut down on staff, frozen staff vacancies, redeployed staff from other homes and sent them to work in my husband's care home. The redeployed staff have no dementia training and have never worked with dementia residents before. They do not like working with such residents and are disgruntled. Altogether a terrible situation. The first thing to disappear when there is such a shortage of staff is proper care and attention.

I left it too late to complain and as I say took matters into my own hands. I hope that you do complain long and loud to the CQC. They are supposed to be the regulating body and I have read their inspection reports where they have failed care homes because of staffing levels and put the home in special measures because of insufficient staffing. Every care home dreads being put into special measures because they are forced to address the problem and have to address it within a short time frame or face being closed down.

xxTinaT