By Bill Heaney
Care at home staff in West Dunbartonshire are fed up being criticised for the shortcomings in their service when the culprits are the service managers.
The most recent instance of this came on Wednesday when the service was branded ‘weak’ by the Care Inspectorate.
An unannounced inspection was carried out in March, with the West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) services being downgraded from ‘adequate’ to ‘weak’.
It comes following a radical redesign of homecare services, which the Health and Social Care Partnership believe will “strengthen our service and ensure we have a model of care that is fit for purpose, robust and meets the growing needs of our residents”.
Like much of what the HSCP does, the redesign is unpopular and doesn’t work. It has seen staff moved to a Monday to Sunday rota, where they work five days out of seven one week, and then two out of seven the following week.
A 24/7 service is also no longer offered by the HSCP, instead running between 7.30am and 10pm with district nurses covering nights, while a new ‘schedulers’ team organise care and a ‘re-enablement team’ offer a ‘six week intensive recovery period’ to clients at home following a hospital discharge or community referral.
One care worker said: “It’s just another crazy plan from these people, some of whom aren’t even elected, who have no idea how difficult it is to cope at the sharp end of these services.”
Carers have previously told journalists that they worried for users and feel “undervalued, ignored, exhausted and full of anxiety” in the role following the changes.
Earlier this year no new referrals for home care were being accepted, unless for complex or end of life care, and workers were consulted on management proposals to “redesign” the service.
During the covid pandemic one home carer, a member of the GMB trade union, actually died while struggling to stay at work and look after elderly clients.
The Labour Council leader is so out of touch with what is happening in Homecare, it borders on neglect.
Perhaps the Council should consider following the last two Provostships, which were unquestionably undistinguished terms of office, appointing someone not affiliated to either of the two main parties?