Uncaring Careworkers/Support Workers

Caring should be a professional career with qualified people who are trained to do their job. Unfortunately it’s not going to be that way unless it is recognised as such by the government and paid for properly.

I can only speak of the fantastic care staff who looked after my dying husband at home. I preferred them to the district nurses who often didn’t even speak to my husband whilst doing the meds. The care staff made a hideous situation so much better. They even rang for support when he was choking on his secretions. They turned him on his side and all this foul stuff came out of his mouth ( he could no longer swallow) it made such a difference to his comfort. The district nurses didn’t seem to even notice his actual condition.

MadeInYorkshire

Stillstanding

Thank you to those who intervened. I have a disability and I need help to a certain extent. It was so awful ; as soon as you get a good one they are moved on. I was told that because I am literate and able to report bad carers they would move the ones I did not complain about over to more vulnerable people. I was being used as some sort of testing job. In the end I gave up on them and now employ a cleaner privately who has been with me for 16 years. She has helped me get to the dentist and to a few other appointments but mostly I simple dont go out.

I know carers are not paid enough and we should all protest about that but people who see bad things going on should report it. If that is the way some of these people behave in public think what goes on behind closed doors.

Thank you to the carers who look after people who cannot say that.

Good grief that's awful! Although, sometimes I get the good ones moved on too, not necessarily because I am literate etc and can/do have a moan, but I am also quite 'easy to do'.

Found something out this morning that was interesting - my carers don't get 'stoma training' - basically I am doing it!! The other week, they had a new client with a stoma and one of the ladies came into me a couple of day ls later saying 'oh I am so pleased you did the stoma training with me, I got a new client with a stoma yesterday and wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't done it with me last week'! What I didn't glean from that on the day is that they don't actually get any! Walking in to having a new person with a new stoma, even knowing what it is, just isn't fair to client nor staff member - new stomas are often complicated, people are given 'a bag' in hospital, get a few days help and discharged to 'get on with it', albeit given a number to ring the Stoma Team. What they do not know is that if the bag given doesn't suit, then there are hundreds available to you, loads of products to help with leaks, adhesive removal etc. Often putting something on your skin for the first time causes it to break down, leaving it very sore, the more you pull the bag on and off, the sorer it gets as it takes the skin with it, then it gets wet and nothing will stick to it causing leaks and so on. This happened to a lady on my mum's sheltered housing estate, so I went to see her and tell her about these products and gave her a few to try, they told her nothing. Stoma Nurses nowadays are sponsored by manufacturers, so obviously they provide that manufacturers product - it can take months, if you even have the knowledge to find the right one.

I have loads of different products, because I know they exist, and having had a stoma now for 18 years, I know mine well. If anyone here needs any tips, feel free!

Sorry I have digressed a little - again!

Made in Yorkshire …. My late Mum had a stoma having had bowel cancer twice (different strains) she lived with it to nearly 97. In later years I often had to help her with it, ring the Stoma Nurse and liaise with the suppliers. When she passed away I sent a donation to the stoma nurses and wrote a thank you letter to the suppliers because over the approx 25 years Mum used the company they never let her down.

When Mum was in a care home briefly which did not meet her needs and which I complained to CQC about, she lost quite a bit of weight and needed help with the colostomy bags. One care worker just said “urgh, I can’t deal with that” and left the room. Others said they had never seen one and others just left Mum to struggle yet the home accepted her knowing she had a stoma. I got the Stoma Nurse to come in and sort Mum out which she did and she offered to give staff some free training. The Owner and her Manager point blank refused. The Nurse rang me at home later and said she was shocked that they did not take her offer up and she thought they were very uncaring.

Shows you the type of people they are when the Manager told me Mum was leaving her used bags (in tied disposal bags) on her bathroom floor. I told her they should provide a bin then!!Bear in mind that Mum was paying nearly £1000 a week for this “care”.

My parents had carers coming in, four times a day. The majority were brilliant and caring, especially when dealing with my Father. We lived over 60 miles away and had to rely on them for general day to day care.
During one episode when my father had been hospitalised, my mother who was a diabetic and developing signs of dementia phoned me to say that she was having a hypo and had put sweetener into water and was that ok. I subsequently phoned her carers helpline to get someone to her, no one available as it was a Saturday and the younger carers had phoned in sick? So, no staff. I told her to use honey and milk, and got the reply I don’t like honey. I was so close to phoning for an ambulance but eventually got her to do what I suggested. Anyway, after speaking to older carers I was told that it was always a problem on a weekend as the younger people just wanted to go out and generally rang in sick.

HowVeryDareYou2

Callistemon21

Primrose53

It’s 45p a mile in our county.

I thought that was the rate too.

If only. I once worked for a national (huge) company that paid 45p, but in general, agencies don't pay that amount round here (Nottingham)

45p per mile is what the local authority pays.

Stillstanding

Thank you to those who intervened. I have a disability and I need help to a certain extent. It was so awful ; as soon as you get a good one they are moved on. I was told that because I am literate and able to report bad carers they would move the ones I did not complain about over to more vulnerable people. I was being used as some sort of testing job. In the end I gave up on them and now employ a cleaner privately who has been with me for 16 years. She has helped me get to the dentist and to a few other appointments but mostly I simple dont go out.

I know carers are not paid enough and we should all protest about that but people who see bad things going on should report it. If that is the way some of these people behave in public think what goes on behind closed doors.

Thank you to the carers who look after people who cannot say that.

Good grief that's awful! Although, sometimes I get the good ones moved on too, not necessarily because I am literate etc and can/do have a moan, but I am also quite 'easy to do'.

Found something out this morning that was interesting - my carers don't get 'stoma training' - basically I am doing it!! The other week, they had a new client with a stoma and one of the ladies came into me a couple of day ls later saying 'oh I am so pleased you did the stoma training with me, I got a new client with a stoma yesterday and wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't done it with me last week'! What I didn't glean from that on the day is that they don't actually get any! Walking in to having a new person with a new stoma, even knowing what it is, just isn't fair to client nor staff member - new stomas are often complicated, people are given 'a bag' in hospital, get a few days help and discharged to 'get on with it', albeit given a number to ring the Stoma Team. What they do not know is that if the bag given doesn't suit, then there are hundreds available to you, loads of products to help with leaks, adhesive removal etc. Often putting something on your skin for the first time causes it to break down, leaving it very sore, the more you pull the bag on and off, the sorer it gets as it takes the skin with it, then it gets wet and nothing will stick to it causing leaks and so on. This happened to a lady on my mum's sheltered housing estate, so I went to see her and tell her about these products and gave her a few to try, they told her nothing. Stoma Nurses nowadays are sponsored by manufacturers, so obviously they provide that manufacturers product - it can take months, if you even have the knowledge to find the right one.

I have loads of different products, because I know they exist, and having had a stoma now for 18 years, I know mine well. If anyone here needs any tips, feel free!

Sorry I have digressed a little - again!

I was going to say exact words wellbeck said. My heart breaks when I see this happen it’s so sad to watch.

HowVeryDareYou2

Callistemon21

Primrose53

It’s 45p a mile in our county.

I thought that was the rate too.

If only. I once worked for a national (huge) company that paid 45p, but in general, agencies don't pay that amount round here (Nottingham)

Oh my carers get 25p a mile, was 10p a mile!

When I stopped working in 2010, I was getting 45p a mile then!

CanadianGran

We have a residential home where several disabled adults live together in our neighbourhood. We see the adults out walking with their care workers often, so I do know that they get their exercise. I have noticed though, that lately the workers are all recent immigrants, and I do wonder about the level of communication, especially because some of the disabled adults do not speak very clearly.

I agree that the skill level seems to be on-the-job-training, and I do hope the level of care is up to standard or above.

I was in a former life, the Registered manager of a Care Home for Adults with Learning Disabilities & Challenging Behaviours. I LOVED IT! It was what I was trained in as a nurse and it was my perfect job, before my health declined and then they wanted me to 'train' as a Registered Manager! As it was I had to find something more part-time and less volatile, not that it was always so ....

I was fortunate, as the majority of my staff were there because they were doing degrees in Psychology, and wanted experience, and the others were there because they wanted to be. We were all a very happy bunch really. We had planned activities every day, swimming, bowling, carriage driving, art, visits to town etc and I did what I could with the money available. Problem was some residents had a lot more money than others did which caused a few issues amongst them.

I now have carers of my own - they are treated abysmally! Paid minimum wage; get no travelling time so are often over their hours at the end of the day; none have a contract, therefore no work, no pay; no pensions; no annual leave, no sick pay, AND something I learned yesterday, those that aren't drivers, have to pay someone from the company to get them to their clients!!! They've all been lovely (bar one who was kind but kept leaving my keys dangling from the key safe, and after the 5th time as as I am now living alone, I said that I don't want her coming. She also let one of my dogs out, who fortunately my daughter came across running down the middle of the road!)

Hospital nurses though, some leave a lot to be desired!! Having had 24 lots of surgery I have a great lot of experience with them! Why oh why did they get rid of the State Enrolled Nurses? They were the ones that wanted to be there, were experienced and cared. Now nurses do not do any caring at all as we did, they strut around looking important. The ward were I always end up on recently ha about 6 Sisters, well what they do I have no idea, other than wandering around with doctors on ward rounds and tapping into a computer? Care is purely done by Nursing Auxiliaries, some of which are good, and some of which leave a lot to be desired! On my last visit, there was a lovely little old lady in the bed opposite me, who couldn't do anything for herself at all. She was always left until last, so no doubt sat in her urine etc for hours, never saw her actually turned, she just lay smiling, bless her. Her drinks were obviously left on a table out of reach by a 'cleaner', her meals were left on there too, then collected half an hour later, untouched by another cleaner. If it wasn't for me popping over to give her a drink, and tell them that she hadn't been fed, then she wouldn't have been! Also left with the sun streaming into her face, or shivering with cold, again if it wasn't for me pulling up her blankets and drawing the curtains, then she would be left .... she was such a sweetie, and it was such a shame ....

Then, in A&E, (in my local hellhole anyway) they no longer give sufficient pain relief - why? It's not coming out of their pockets, but they leave people in agony after being given 2 Paracetamol and 5mls Oramorph, which when your bowel is dying and I have already had more than that at home, is not enough! Why do they now do that? Told from above I suspect?

Nurses make the worst patients because we know how it should be done!

I really do not know why nurses train to be nurses now? Hardly the money is it?

Sorry for the rant!

Please report these people if you know who they work for.

I just want to pick up on something that has been posted about immigrant care workers. Because of the staff shortage we have to use agency staff and most of them are black African, mainly from commonwealth countries who are trained nurses topping up their salary before they are fully quaified to work for the NHS as nurses. Apart from a couple of issues, which I consider normal as there are always issues of some kind, these ladies work bloody hard and are commited and caring. Often the white, English carers are very lazy in comparison, especially about housework. Infact i'll go as far as to say it is the British workers (NOT ALL - some are and have been amazing)we have had most issues with over the years. Some act they are doing you a favour, actually one of them said to me once that it wasnt her fault I couldn't look after my own daughter. Like yes love, you do an 8 hour shift and go home. You don't do a 20 odd year shift on no sleep

This is just my personal experience. They all need to be paid and valued more.

I am a carer and feel so upset to see this. We are in the job because we love it (most of us.) Please keep reporting this kind of abuse, and it is abuse. I came to this job very late in my working life and yes it is hard. We are treated as skivvy's by most people. i have been hit, kicked and had my hair pulled told to get out and also been told I'm fat ugly and don't deserve to be alive. If it's a client you take it but from family it's hard.

Thank you to those who intervened. I have a disability and I need help to a certain extent. It was so awful ; as soon as you get a good one they are moved on. I was told that because I am literate and able to report bad carers they would move the ones I did not complain about over to more vulnerable people. I was being used as some sort of testing job. In the end I gave up on them and now employ a cleaner privately who has been with me for 16 years. She has helped me get to the dentist and to a few other appointments but mostly I simple dont go out.

I know carers are not paid enough and we should all protest about that but people who see bad things going on should report it. If that is the way some of these people behave in public think what goes on behind closed doors.

Thank you to the carers who look after people who cannot say that.

That’s really sad primrose, but not uncommon

Callistemon21

Primrose53

It’s 45p a mile in our county.

I thought that was the rate too.

If only. I once worked for a national (huge) company that paid 45p, but in general, agencies don't pay that amount round here (Nottingham)

Anna - whilst very caring, it is still quite wrong that
care workers came in their own time.
They really shouldn't have to do this and aren't paid enough in the first place in my opinion.

I'm not even sure if they would be insured if they worked for the council and had chosen to do "out of hours" unpaid work. If not, this puts them (in fact all involved), potentially at risk.

This is one of the problems with not giving people the hours of support they really need. Whoever assessed the situation of your poor mother-in-law was wrong and although the council obviously provided excellent staff they clearly didn't provide enough of them time wise.

I'm glad your Mother-in-law is now settled.

Primrose53

It’s 45p a mile in our county.

I thought that was the rate too.

A family member of mine, now retired worked as a manager in a day care centre. The clients were taken out frequently but when he discovered that most outings involved the staff looking round the shops in local mall he created a list of suitable outings and they had to stick to it.

I have worked in care all my working life and given 100% of me, I have worked with people who are deaf/blind and trained in sign language and believe me I have seen carers who have zero tolerance of the person they are MEANT to be caring for. The people who have given their time to train and dedicate themselves have been nothing but dedicated to their job, but some of the carers who I have worked with in homecare would be far more suited working anywhere but......

Its disgraceful, no excuses whatsoever but anyone can walk into the job and believe you me I have seen it. People who have reached a stage in their lives needing help, absolutely deserve kindness and respect, it upsets me when I witness this not taking place and feel like telling the carer they would be suited to changing jobs ..... 😔

It’s 45p a mile in our county.

Callistemon21 20-25p per mile is the standard rate where I live, although some agencies pay 15p

What a sad story Primrose, I’m not surprised that you were upset.
It bought tears to my eyes just reading it.
At my local pub, some of the regulars are a whole gang of ‘service users’ (how I despise that phrase) aka adults with learning disabilities.
They used to go once a month in a minibus for a meal in the afternoon and would be there at the pub with the carers for about three hours.
We all got to know each other and it was really lovely.
I haven’t been to the pub post Covid, I hope that it still happens.

They get a mileage allowance, whether or not it is sufficient I don't know.

Yes jenpax Wow,
I told the agency why I didn’t want her to come anymore,
No official reply but the best carer I had told me it wasn’t unknown.
Some join for what they can get out of it.

multicolourswapshop

On a positive note I am one of the lucky ones getting care four times a day, and everyone is brilliant almost like family I do look forward to them coming in to my home with their different skills and personalities Not all are in it for the money they could be better paid elsewhere. My hat is off to their dedication .

I think most are caring and work hard (and are underpaid) multicolourswapshop, thank goodness yours are kind and dedicated.
A younger member of my family receives good care which enables her to live independently.

There will always be a few who are uncaring and treat it as just a job. Unfortunately, the pay does not reflect the excellent job most carers do.

annsixty

I had care every morning for my H with Alzheimer’s.
They would come and shower and dress him for the day.
Most were wonderful, would engage with him and with me.
Although they were supposed to clean up after their visit some did most didn’t.
I would be left to cleanup the shower room ,put laundry in the bin, I appreciated what they did and was grateful.
A new one came, very young, very short in her job and then told me her sad story.
Children not supported by her ex partner, no petrol in her car to get to her next client etc etc.

I just asked the agency to never send her again.
Hard I know but I was paying for the service I received and didn’t expect to be supporting the staff.

Wow!