Paying for Social Care at home

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Thank you Hazel - still going on sadly ....

Social care is free in Scotland regardless of age,I wont wait long for someone to rubbish it BUT my late MIL had carers 4 times a day and excellent care from them .My neighbour also had carers 4 times a day for the 3 years prior to his recent death ,always at least 2 ,usually 4 in the mornings as he was a big man who was paralysed and it took 4 to move him .He wasn't 60 and I know he was very grateful for the care he had.
NHS Scotland might still have issues but its still the best performing of the 4 nations ...and NO strikes !

paddyann54

Social care is free in Scotland regardless of age,I wont wait long for someone to rubbish it BUT my late MIL had carers 4 times a day and excellent care from them .My neighbour also had carers 4 times a day for the 3 years prior to his recent death ,always at least 2 ,usually 4 in the mornings as he was a big man who was paralysed and it took 4 to move him .He wasn't 60 and I know he was very grateful for the care he had.
NHS Scotland might still have issues but its still the best performing of the 4 nations ...and NO strikes !

I can only echo that. My very elderly in-laws had to move into a nursing home in February, but prior to that, for some time they had carers coming in four times a day, and the service provided was always excellent. We had no complaints whatsoever.

The main problem with that in Scotland is the long wait if in hospital for care packages to be arranged. In the wards where I volunteer there are so many people ready for discharge but a severe lack of potential carers prevents this. It's very sad to see.
If people who already have a care package have to be admitted to hospital for any reason their care package is transferred to someone else and the long wait in hospital starts all over again . Bed blocking. So frustrating for all involved.

I have a team of five carers rotated weekly and paid for by my local authority who help me keep my husband at home where I want him.

I am forever indebted to them and to the local authority.

I live in Scotland

That's very true, Aveline. We had to wait quite some time for a care package to be put in place for my MiL, during which she had to stay in our local community hospital. And then when my FiL had a fall and had to be admitted to hospital, she had to go into emergency respite care, meaning her home care package lapsed and it took weeks for it to be reinstated, so again she had a prolonged stay in respite care.

MIL was very lucky her carers were sorted when she went into Hospital so when she was discharged it was all in place for her .She didn't really want carers she wanted me to live with her for half the week and her daughter the other half .Her daughter said no,I offered her a room with us ,her daughter said no again.They would never see her if she moved here!! I wish I had insisted OH doesn't do confrontation with his sister so it was up to me and I still feel guilty we left her on her own .

*Hazelaiken, what on earth did you say that was 'against the guidelines?

You are very lucky up in Scotland, despite the wait., I wish that it were the same down here! Wherever, there will be a wait as nobody wants to work in social care really - it is poorly paid, the mileage allowance is dreadful (26p here when in 2010 when I was last able to work it was 45p!) considering what they have to pay for fuel nowadays, most of my carers are on zero hours contracts with no holiday or sick pay or pension provision, when others in the same company have contracts for 40 hours because they have been 'brought in' on a Govt sponsorship scheme, usually from African countries with little English! So unfair ..... what really amazed me was that for those that do not drive, they have a driver employed by the company, for which they have to give back 20% of their wages for each call!!

In areas where they are trying to put in ULEZ measures, so those with the 'dirtiest cars' will pay £12.50 a day, social care will just get worse! These carers are paid as low as possible, they cannot afford to upgrade to new electric cars, or cars with lower emissions; there will be no public transport system suitable for domiciliary care, as waiting for a bus to arrive will cut into their call time - as it is my carers have to sometimes drive for 20+ mins between calls, (I really don't think that those in the office have a map of the area or any clue where these places are!) as I am quite rural - should there be one set of traffic lights in my town, there is complete gridlock! So the 20 minutes could become an hour, then they have to come back in again for lunchtime and evening calls - no O/T will be paid at the end of the day if they're held up by traffic or if they're late for a call because they've had to call an ambulance in their previous call etc ! In outer London, they will be leaving in droves if these sort of measures come in!

Am currently having a discussion on Twitter about domiciliary care in London and surroundings, and people suggesting the carers may take a bus or the tube to their calls - It just wouldn't pay! Mainly because each call is generally between 30 mins & an hour. If you had to get the tube or a bus between each call, you wouldn't get many done in a day, & the companies expect you to get to these calls very quickly! They generally don't pay an hourly rate, but a call rate - - so a 30min call may be £6, 45 min £9 etc. They don't pay travelling time either, so the longer it takes you to travel, you aren't earning; then you have to possibly go off the bus or tube route and walk 1/2 mile away, all the while not earning - definitely wouldn't work!

Wish I was back in Scotland!

It ain't nirvana here either Madeinyorkshire. It's still not a popular job and isn't well paid. I often see the poor souls on the bus between jobs in their uniforms and wonder about hygiene. Recruitment is a major problem. At their pay rate jobs in hospitality or shops are more attractive.

Aveline

It ain't nirvana here either Madeinyorkshire. It's still not a popular job and isn't well paid. I often see the poor souls on the bus between jobs in their uniforms and wonder about hygiene. Recruitment is a major problem. At their pay rate jobs in hospitality or shops are more attractive.

*Aveline

No I don't suppose it is, but it is at least free! What I just cannot imagine is anyone having to do it on a bus!

Only certain aspects of this 'care' is free. It's quite a palaver and depends on what you're offered. My MiL was assessed as being eligible for two 15 minute visits a day. One to get her up, washed, dressed, fed and on the bus to a day centre and one to get her undressed, fed and back in bed. All assuming the bus would coincide with their exact 15 minutes! Of course that was impossible so we had to make private arrangements at cost. Free?! Not.

Aveline

Only certain aspects of this 'care' is free. It's quite a palaver and depends on what you're offered. My MiL was assessed as being eligible for two 15 minute visits a day. One to get her up, washed, dressed, fed and on the bus to a day centre and one to get her undressed, fed and back in bed. All assuming the bus would coincide with their exact 15 minutes! Of course that was impossible so we had to make private arrangements at cost. Free?! Not.

Wow, that's ridiculous, 15 minutes isn't anywhere near enough time to get up, washed, dressed, fed and onto a bus in anyone's world! Whoever did that assessment was deliberately pushing you on to private social care - a problem that nowadays as most SW's seem to be accountants now ... I honestly think that you were had' there! Did you appeal/challenge it?

No time for that. It was urgent. We asked for direct payments to contribute to the carer we employed but that was going to have to go to a committee of course. Meanwhile she fell and was admitted to hospital. I agree that the assessor must have been in cloud cuckoo land but, basically, just looking to save money. So no free funding from Scottish govt for her.

I saw this today. Not a big surprise.

There are 430,000 people waiting for care in England (end of March)
www.adass.org.uk/adass-spring-survey-2023-care-waiting-lists-down-but-needs-increasing
I can’t find the figures for Wales easily, but they are no doubt similar.
It’s a huge problem, and it’s going to keep getting worse until the pay, status and recognition of the importance of carers is dealt with.

My husband gets fours hours three days a week free care.

His carers shower, shave and dress him also cook his lunch, dinner or. whatever is required.

All paid for by my local authority.

I also know of quite a few others who receive this service from local authority.

I’m very grateful for this help in keep my husband at home.

Should have mentioned we live in Scotland.

You are very lucky indeed granniesunite. Others are still waiting. In my MiL's too late

Yes of course I realise others are waiting but the point is the service is available and free in Scotland and helping thousands of families.

In other parts of the UK it doesn’t seem to be the case.

The point is that some lucky families in Scotland get a contribution to their care but very many others just don't. It would be better to wait to trumpet the much vaunted 'free' social care until everyone who needs it can actually get it.

Aveline I sorry you feel that way but I think that by raising awareness of self directed support it will inform the many that don’t know about it.

I am sorry too that your mil didn’t received the service and the many others that missed out but I’m sure now you are aware of it you inform others of this service.

It takes time of course for this service to be placed but as with anything involving others money but that’s only right and prober I think.

My concern is that Grans think everything up here is rosy - but it certainly isn't.

Why let that concern you?. Aveline

Nothing anywhere in the world is all rosy. I think most thinking people realise that.

But if we don’t acknowledge the good and only acknowledge the bad then we are doing a disservice to the many good hard working people /politicians from all parties that do have our interest at heart.

It’s to them that I feel thankful.

My world has changed dramatically with my husbands illness and I have experienced good and bad but I much prefer to remember the good shown to us.