UK : Time to care?

Councils should re-think
the way they organise home care services, according to the findings of a major
report published today by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

* Read our report: Time
to care?

Many people find that their
care workers are too rushed. The ’15 minute slot’ model of service
– where a care worker is allotted only a few minutes to get a person up, washed
and dressed before they are out of the door and on to the next person – can
be undignified and unsafe.

Commenting on the findings
from the first ever inspections of domiciliary care services in England, Dame
Denise Platt, Chair of the Commission, said:

“This report paints
a mixed picture of the quality of home care. It is critical that those who commission
and provide home care services listen to what people say they want and value.

“Failure to listen
to what people really need, and respond to this, results in missed opportunities
to promote independence and to help people live full and rewarding lives. At
worst, it can also result in services that do not respect people’s rights
and dignity.

“As the numbers of
older people grow, councils must reshape services to support people living at
home with more personalised care. Doing more of the same will not be enough.”

Paul Snell, CSCI’s
Chief Inspector, said:

“Social care can transform
lives, but we do need to find new ways of organising services so that people
have a better range of choices.

“Since we started
regulating the sector three years ago, home care services have improved. But
we will need fundamental change if we are to meet the needs of our growing older
population. Our report aims to contribute to a debate about what services should
be offered to whom, and what form they should take. We have included examples
of some innovative practice, that put people much more in control and really
promotes their independence.”

The report, ‘Time
to Care?’ sets out how agencies are meeting Government standards, while
probing the experience of older people who receive care at home.

There is simply not enough
time for care workers to get to know a person and develop a relationship of
trust. This is de-motivating for older people and their care workers alike.
Lack of time to provide a quality service is not rewarding for staff, especially
when they have trained hard to qualify for their role. Home care services also
often have serious problems in recruiting, training and retaining good quality
staff. Younger people find better wages working in their local supermarket,
and have little incentive to work in the care industry.

Home care provides a vital
service to thousands of people every day. But councils should consider new ways
of organising these services, so they respond more sensitively to people’s
needs.

Councils also concentrate
services on people with the most severe needs, meaning that many people who
would benefit from home care services do not receive it because of high eligibility
thresholds. The number of people receiving council-funded home care services
has been falling since the 1990s, even though the older population has risen.
In 1992 over 500,000 households received funded home care. By 2005, this number
had dropped to just 354,500 households.

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