Care agency issues

[Amie]

Hi, I’m sure this topic has been covered many times in this forum but couldn’t see a current thread on it, please feel free to move it to an existing one though.

so we’re now almost onto our second month of my mom being home and me being the main carer. It’s been difficult, soul destroying at times, but, I have to say there have been far more good things than not so good and mom is making so much progress being at home, she’s eating now, she wouldn’t even look at food for the previous 6 months! She’s still on puréed foods (along with her peg feed) but it’s wonderful to see her starting to enjoy foods again. Health wise some ups and downs but overall we’re definitely getting more wins!

Anyway now to the actual point of this post. So as well as me being the main, live in carer we have carers 4 times per day. I wondered what others experiences are and whether my expectations are too, high, I don’t think they are but as this is our first experience of anything like this I wanted to check. So currently the LA is funding mom’s care package but the LA are now in process of doing the financial assessment and I know mom will have to contribute or possibly even become a self-funder. At present the time that the carers are present ranges from 10 mins to 20 mins -they are supposed to do 45 min morning and last call in eve and then 2 30 mins in the middle. They’ve never done that. All we want them for is to change, freshen up, check skin, change pad, dress, re- position - so realistically 45 mins or even 30 mins isn’t needed.

I wondered though if this the norm, do agency carers never do the hours they are supposed to do? I imagine it’s because the managers keep adding more calls to their schedule and so if they can they just rush through to get as many visits done as possible? While the LA is finding things it’s not really my argument however if it comes to mom having to fund what powers do I have? Will she be expected to continue to fund 30/45 minute visits even though carers are only present for 20 max?

Also I’ve had a few ‘run ins’ with a few of the care staff, who weren’t even doing the basics - I’ve complained to the managers on many occasions, eg arriving late, arriving too early (over an hour) without any prior warning - for context I like to switch mom’s peg feed off for at least 45 mins before carers arrive in prep for all the rolling and repositioning etc so them turning up an hour early meant I hadn’t had opportunity to do this, not changing obviously wet bottoms or mattress protectors etc I have to say most of the carers are good and do exactly what I ask them to do on behalf of mom, mom can’t speak since her stroke, but with others I just feel I’m having to keep nagging and I’m finding it exhausting having to always be on ‘guard’.

Finally has anyone here gone from being funded by the LA, while they sort their assessments etc to then being self-funders, did you manage to keep the same costs? I have spoken to the social worker who has advised that the LA can continue to act as middle man and we should still get the council rates - and I’ve read that this can be the case but wondered if anyone has any direct experience of this.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Amie

[Teddybear]

@Amie carers are supposed to stay the time they are down for coming when I had carers I had 45 minutes morning ,2x 30 minutes dinner ,tea, 20 minutes evening. But I lived on my own. The carers stayed the times .there were 2 that didn’t who thought they could stay 10- 15 mins .i stopped them coming and said if they behaved like that I didn’t want them at my house ,they stopped and then it was fine. If you let them get away with this they will do. Sometimes they will go a few minutes before it’s there time to do to get to there next job .but only if everything is done and it’s ok for them to go. When I had carers they sometimes would go 5 minutes early to get to there job.but they always asked me never just left.

These times Your mum has sound like they are the basic reablement times for when someone comes out of hospital gets 6 weeks free care . About 45 mins to 1 hour morning. 30 mins dinner ,30 minutes tea , and 30 mins evening ( or longer if needed ).

You need to report the carers to the agency for only doing these times and yes if they are contracted to come 45minutes and only stay 20 minutes I think you would still pay the 45 minutes cos that’s what there contracted for. If she’s now going to be doing a financial assessment cut the time down to what you need if your there and your going to be doing some of the stuff and she is going to contributed or even be self funding ,if she’s going to be self funding all these hours a week over a month is going to be expensive .you have put a list above of things you need help with. Who does her peg who sees to her peg /feeding . What do you need help with when do you need help. Morning , dinner, tea , evening . Do you need help all these times or just some of these times . And how much time do you think you need. If your mum is going to be contributing to her care or self funding her own care aslong as she is safe and cared for and looked after you can have the care you need . Are you going to be caring for her to. If you are work out the care you feel you would need to help her with you and have that. You do not have to have all this care if you don’t feel you need it. You can cut the times down you are her live in carer depends on how much you want to do.

If you think 20 minutes is enough and everything is done in 20 minutes. Say we don’t want 30-45 minute calls .the work is being done in 20 minutes .so if she’s paying for it we want to reduce to 20 minutes. It’s up to you how much care you have your living there looking after your mum. Carers are coming in to help. You have them what time you want and for the length of time you want .

I had carers that were few minutes early or late that happens but never an hour a couple of times when there was a really emergency and couldn’t be helped.the ones that are causing you stress and behaving like this tell the agency to send other people that you have enough on with mum and don’t need this behaviour so please take them of the rota to your house and to send the others you say are no trouble and good. If someone is self funding they pay higher care charges ,than someone that is funded by the council. I would check what the social worker has said . Acting as the middle man . If your mum has over a certain amount of money she would be a self funder . You need to read the care act 2014 charging for care . How you have said how your mum is can’t speak had a stroke, and has a peg. You need to ask the social worker for CHC checklist . Don’t take no for an answer . When she come out of hospital was she on reablement D2A ( discharge to access). You can ask to be referred for CHC .that is free care funded by the nhs , for people with primary health needs hard to get. But get them to refer your mum for a checklist the person who does the checklist has to be qualified to do it if she passes the checklist she then goes on to get an assessment. Look at and read this website caretobedifferent.co.uk. It’s on continued healthcare . Also look at the care act 2014 on discharge from hospital, charges for care. I don’t know about what the social worker has said because that would depend on savings and income if you have over £23,250 and something in savings you pay your own costs and are self funding , if you have between £14,250 and £23,250 have to pay contribution I think it’s from income and savings. If you have under £14,250 your savings are not taken into account but they would look at the persons income.About the council still being the middle man and you getting the council rates I would check with the councils financial services. I don’t know if that applies if your a self funder. If you meet the criteria for council funding and pay a contribution. But if your above the thread hold I would check. I hope this helps I’ve done my best. Welcome to the forum.

[Teddybear]

@Amie have you had a carers assessment you can have one of those because you care for mum over 35 hours a week. You can get carers allowance . Type in Google carers allowance and the nhs website on it will come up and your council website should do. Read them on it then you will know what it is and what you get. Apply for it. I’m not sure how old your mum is does she get pip if she under pension age or attendance allowance if she over state pension age. Also has her stroke effected her mentalIy I hate asking this so forgive me. If you have a severe mental impairment you can be exempt from paying council tax. I know strokes effected people differently if she is you ring your local council I’m not sure if they do it over the phone or you fill a form in and they will contact her doctor for confirmation.

[bowlingbun]

Hi Amie, I suggest that you buy a Ring door bell so you can prove how long people are staying.

Are you with mum 24/7? You need time off too.

You are entitled to the full number of minutes, so be sure to make good use of them. If they use the bathroom, do they leave it tidy? If they change the bed, are the putting the washing in the machine or dryer for you? Be sure to say “if you get this done please can you do …”

Have you had a Carers Assessment to look at the support you need as a carer?

Time off to look after yourself, go to the hairdresser, swimming, meet up with friends?

Has anyone reviewed mum since she was discharged?

[Teddybear]

The council when I had care I don’t know if all councils do this . But when I came out of hospital there was like a cd in a cd case which was made of plastic when the carers came they had to click on it to show they had arrived and click out when they left. And the council were not bothered all they were bothered about if they saw someone wasn’t doing there time to them the council it meant you did not need that amount of care and cut it.they weren’t bothered the people weren’t staying the time.all they were bothered about gave them an excuse to cut the care .i think they only have these if council are funding care ,not self funder who are paying. But apparently it was only check every year, or months and months.

Also when carers came they had an app on there phone they had to log in when came and log out when they went. I’m not sure if this council disk did that or they manually did. It all went to the care agency. All the people came to me were nice stopped the time did what they were supposed to do apart from 3 who put me through 3 weeks of so much stress I rung care agency twice said I couldn’t deal with it, didn’t change .so I rung again 2 off them I said to the agency I cannot deal with this aswell as being ill . I said do not send these two people to my house again. I’d put up with it for 3 weeks even asked them to stop it. I got sorry won’t happen again next time they came did same thing. So I rung the agency and said take these two people of the rota of care for my house I’ve had 3 weeks of it. I got excuse shorted staffed. I said not my problem I can have who I want to care for me and I remove permission for these two people to enter my house .if I hadn’t I don’t think it would have stopped . It did with these two and the others who were nice did there time and there job came more often. The third came one day she stopped 5 minutes out of 30 minutes.it was because the women before me took longer than she had time for and this person was using my time for her and rushing round my house things were not done properly. I’d told her few times to stop it. In the end she came I said please don’t come to my house again she didn’t come. I said the women before me needs another assessment I was told by her the council won’t give her more time.i said I’m sorry about that but you can’t use mine on her. At the time I couldn’t walk barely move I need my help. Hopefully this will help you. Stand your ground, and remember no one is allowed into your home without your permission take care.

Also on the app after every visit they had to detail what they had done. So my house everytime a carers came they had to put under my visit what they had done when they came to my house .