Carer and records

You are allowed to remove the relevant part of a persons care plan and take to appointments, but there are strict rules about how it may be moved.

Yes, Miss A , but if you set yourself up as a carer, you can do as you please it seems???
There are no rules or records.

I really have no idea what the rules and regulations are for someone working privately, I'm afraid.

You could phone the care quality commission, and they would be able to advise you.

How about if you set up a file, if possible with your mum. You could tell both carer and mum that the ambulance service have as that the older/infirm have a readily available list of medication and ailments. This is perfectly true, the paramedics need the information. You could then ask carer to make a note of health and well being etc. (I was going to say health and temper)

Phone the Care Quality Commission to find out what the law is: 03000 616161.

We have a self-employed live-in carer at present and no records are kept. Records were kept when we were using an agency for drop-in care and they were stored here in our home. I believe this is what all agencies do.

I am here about 80% of the time so I am able to keep an eye on what is going on with this self-employed carer, so it is not a concern; but where the client is living alone, then this does seem to be a big gap in the law.

I have worked as a SW and have had cause to deal with situations where I thought a client was being exploited on some way. Is this your concern? - if it is you need to contact your local Social Services Dept to report concerns about a "vulnerable adult" and they are obliged to investigate.

I am happy for you to pm me - it sounds as though you have a big worry on your hands.

Many thanks one and all.

Even if it's a private arrangement, and whatever the law, an experienced carer would and should keep a daily record, if only for his/her own self-interest.

It's a log of what you've done that day for the client and a record of their daily activities, for example when did the client last open their bowels, is the client walking well today, what did they eat, etc. Also very importantly, how is the client's skin, particularly pressure areas and peri-anal area.

If a whopping big pressure/moisture ulcer is suddenly observed by a relative or district nurse, who is to say how long it's been there if a record of skin condition is not kept?

The above is from a carer's point of view.

From a relative's point of view, don't you want to be able to ask how has my mother's appetite been, has she had visitors, did the district nurses turn up, did the GP visit?, etc?

If a daily record is not kept how is a carer to remember each and every detail of the past weeks?

I agree

I do know thst if it's LA funded care, then a comprehensive file must be kept and everything signed off daily by the carer(s) and (if able) the principal.
That includes the financial side of things as well as a signed receipt book for payments to carer(s) if paid by the principal.
I know someone who got into a lot of trouble due to keeping two sets of books, at the behest of her employer. One set with falsified accounts for the LA/SS and a charity and one set for herself with the true costs of her care.
It came to light when the SS came to visit and were given the wrong set.
The differences were unbelievable, in the tens of thousands annually.