Monitoring carer's visiting times

This is what we get for blindly accepting the privatisation of care. The carers as a rule now have to clock on as they finish at one patients home before leaving for the next one. A nefarious and outright criminal practice forced on them by the latest contract holder in a bid to squeeze a margin from looking after the needy.

By all means get an IP camera, piece of piss to install and link it to your phone but don't make the mistake of blaming the carer. Ask the care providers why they make their staff do this.

Stuff like this costs what it costs and the fact people get rich or even make money off the back of providing care to those who need it revolts me.

I hope your mother in law isn't suffering because of this mate, must be a horrible time

I'm sure there must be plenty of old "clocking in" machines lying around all the old disused factories...........

The Agency I used, the carers had to sign in by phoning the office from the home phone of the person being cared for. When they had finished they had to sign out by phoning again. It was a free phone number so no charge to me, using an automated system recognising their personal codes. It worked well and I was only ever charged for the time the carers were in the house. It was calculated to the exact minute. A system more agencies should adopt as it also keeps a check on how long it takes the carers to get from one client to the next. Must say the carers were not to happy with the system. They felt like big brother was watching them.

Covered End said:

PragueAddick said:

Are they an agency working for Greenwich Council, or carers you have arranged yourself?

if you have arranged it yourself, my first thought is that you should talk to the management straight away.

Agency working for Greenwich Council.

Thanks all. You've confirmed my views.

Right, so our experience is worth knowing of, although tactically how you use it, might be worth thinking about.

We had about 6 weeks of care we were suppose to pay for, before our Mum passed away in QEH. The service was erratic, sometimes they turned up at the wrong time, too often not at all. But we had no complaints about the carers themselves. My brother and sister tried to log the failures to turn up etc. However, and I will check this, I don't think we saw any time sheets.

It took another six weeks or so before we heard anything from Greenwich Council. Eventually, without any breakdown/back up info we were sent a bill for about £750.I sent a polite email back pointing out that we had numerous notes of failures to turn up correctly, and could they please send the breakdown so we can check the claimed amount with actual. Reasonable, no? Normal, you'd think?

The request was acknowledged by the manager concerned, she said she would need to get the info from another dept. That was end October. Since then we have heard nothing. Nic, nada, nothing.

Let me know if there's anything else we could share that would help you.

We used wireless motion sensors, with the added benefit of seeing if there was movement in the house at other times, good for checking falls, and other inactivity.

muzzy said:

The Agency I used, the carers had to sign in by phoning the office from the home phone of the person being cared for. When they had finished they had to sign out by phoning again. It was a free phone number so no charge to me, using an automated system recognising their personal codes. It worked well and I was only ever charged for the time the carers were in the house. It was calculated to the exact minute. A system more agencies should adopt as it also keeps a check on how long it takes the carers to get from one client to the next. Must say the carers were not to happy with the system. They felt like big brother was watching them.

I can give another view of this, although am pretty sure my mum would not be signing for extra time.

My mum briefly did it a few months leading up to Christmas, not sure who through. But whenever she would go to a job she would be there for x time, however alot of the time petrol to the job sometimes would not be worthwhile as they get paid pittance. maybe this is why they are doing this? not that it makes it right but would imagine its how its starts as they only get paid for whilst they are on job and not any costs to and from.

My mum used to have an old lady she cared for 90+ and she would buy her something from Marks or Costa, often this would end up costing her more than the job itself but she enjoyed doing it. In the end she jacked it in as they were being unreasonable with hours offered, i actually have a friend who has also recently got into it but again she said its very poor pay which is shocking considering what they have to deal with.

PS- I am not saying this is right in anyway, but just goes to show how they should be managed better and how poor they get paid.

BDL said:

Social Care is f*cked.

Until the country accepts that it has to be funded properly, through increased taxes, and staff are paid a professional wage for caring we haven't got a chance.

Staff working in Social Care are all stressed out to the max, tasked with providing a service with little or no resources. Private Care agencies will pay as little as possible but charge as much as they can, care staff rotas will be such that they don't give any travel time so carers have to cut corners to meet their targets, so that they can get paid.

This is a problem that has been brewing for years, from 1993 and the introduction of the Community Care Act, to the muddle fuddled Care Act 2014. Succesive governments of all colours have buried their heads in the sands. Crisis point has come and gone, it will only get worse.

As I said Social Care is F*cked!

This. a member of my family works/worked for a care home company that runs many private homes, during her probation she could not believe how uncared for the residents are, everything is parred to the bone, documents falsified, the more dependent residents left in their own mess, bullied etc etc, she did well in her first months appraisal, then she pointed all the above out to her line manager that many of the working practices fell well short of what was acceptable, she was then told to keep quiet about it all, she didn't, so she was then told that her probation was unsuccessful and was let go.
Oh yes, hidden cameras, they are told to look for hidden cameras that the residents family put in rooms as a monitoring system, and when they find them, dispose of them.
Social care in our country is a total shit cart for the sake of private profit.

HardyAddick said:

We are with a good private agency in Greenwich for my mum. It is hit and miss until you get the right carers. One could not make a cup of tea and had to be shown and another did not know what porridge is - they are paid to get my mum up and make breakfast! You just have to phone and reject bad ones but once it’s up and running, it’s ok. Some are young and have no idea about life let alone looking after someone.

But it really shouldn't be hit and miss should it?

It will never happen as our politicians cannot see beyond a five year term but we really need someone to step forward and tell the public the truth - if you want stuff it costs, are you prepared to pay for it?

we have stated our own Care group in this village. All helpers have to be DBS vetted and go through a Safe Guarding training course.
We will sit with the elderly, shop for them, garden, dog walk, and transport to health care/ hospitals etc.
The first money for the vetting came via the church and street Pastors--- nearly went off on my training when they started going on about "protecting of sex offenders" !!! told em to fuck off im not here for that shit.
We believe that Dover Council will be puting money in (taking a very keen interest) as if we are taking people to and from hospitals/GPs and doing shopping etc it will save them money.

Strangely after one year of operation we have more volunteers than clients.

As for paying for care well in Kent your poll tax is going up higher than inflation to pay for care costs( so they say)

said before they can tax you VAT you etc etc they cant tax your time--- fuck big governments of all colours--- its down to us and having a bit of humanity.


PS Tom from Eltham please take note.

BDL said:

Social Care is f*cked.

Until the country accepts that it has to be funded properly, through increased taxes, and staff are paid a professional wage for caring we haven't got a chance.

Staff working in Social Care are all stressed out to the max, tasked with providing a service with little or no resources. Private Care agencies will pay as little as possible but charge as much as they can, care staff rotas will be such that they don't give any travel time so carers have to cut corners to meet their targets, so that they can get paid.

This is a problem that has been brewing for years, from 1993 and the introduction of the Community Care Act, to the muddle fuddled Care Act 2014. Succesive governments of all colours have buried their heads in the sands. Crisis point has come and gone, it will only get worse.

As I said Social Care is F*cked!

Yep. My wife works in a mixed social services/NHS dept. Everyone is at their wits end. There's little time or money to do the job properly so what staff left that haven't jacked it in already are basically firefighting to provide the minimum levels that might satisfy their statutory obligations. None of them got into social care/mental health work for that shite yet are increasingly expected to do unpaid overtime or buy stuff out of their own pocket for their clients. All this for a pay freeze or 1% if you're lucky enough to keep your job.

It's a frigging disgrace yet when it comes to election time the Tories role out the "living within our means", "Labour bankrupt the country" bullshit and the next round of budget cuts start all over again. Factor in the reduced "cheap" labour force available post Brexit and we are creating a perfect storm of failing care standards in one of the richest, most prosperous countries there's ever been. Go figure...