Home carers

[Spud]

Should carers who help people in their homes be expected to stay the full time that they are paid for?

[Udayana]

Does the time they are paid for include travel to and from the location?

[Spud]

The price list one of my mother's carers has given me (she doesn't work for an agency) says £6 for a 15 minute call, £13 for a 30 minute call. She stays 17 minutes and charges for 30.

[Robbie]

Should carers who help people in their homes be expected to stay the full time that they are paid for?

Don't they usually?

The price list one of my mother's carers has given me (she doesn't work for an agency) says £6 for a 15 minute call, £13 for a 30 minute call. She stays 17 minutes and charges for 30.

Unless it was a one off, she's taking the proverbial and you are entitled to complain - replace her. In your position I'd go to a reputable agency who vet their staff. Some home carers are really conscientious.

[Spud]

Thanks for your advice, Robbie. It's a shame, as so many of the agencies and independents just bolt as soon as the job is done, when it would be so nice if they would stay and chat a bit. Thankfully there is one particular lady who comes in once a week for an hour, to help with hair washing, and  she always stays the full time.

[SusanDoris]

Bearing in mind that it is not a very well paid for job, I think it would depend on what needed to be done. If it is the same sequence each time, then the time spent would be the same, but if the tasks needing to be done vary, then just staying there in order to be there for the time contracted is a grey area.

I'm hoping I shall be able to continue managing without specialised care - although I do have a cleaner once a fortnight and a reader who has been coming for 12 years but those are both private arrangements.

[Roses]

The carers should certainly do the job they are paid to do, all too often one hears that patients are not attended to as well as they should be.

A bit off topic but I heard on the news doctors have voted to no longer do home visits!

[Spud]

LR, we wanted them to spend any time left over chatting or finding other things to do, as she needs as much interaction as possible due to her condition. It doesn't seem too much to ask. The hair wash lady has proved that it can be done, but I think she organizes her schedule so that she has enough time in between calls. The other carers work flat out and are often very tired so that clearly makes them cut their visits short.

[Anchorman]

 Most care staff here are employed by local authorities (though deregulation under Labour allowed agencies and private firms a look in, by consensus, the sevice offered by local authorities is superior) I know many private firms work their carers too hard, do not allow time for interaction with the client, and frequently change carers at short notice - which is upsetting to clients with early onset dementia. My own local authority operates a strict system where creres must sign in on entering a house, and sign out on exit....and can be tracked by using some app installed on the mobile phones issued them by the employer, thus ensuring that they spend the set time with the client.