Somewhat topically our Mum (90 in a couple of weeks) now needs continuous home care visits, following a short hospital stay. Initially this was provided by Greenwich Council, and I have to say we were all pleasantly surprised by how quickly they sprang into action and the consistency and pleasant professionalism of their support. However, as is apparently the practice they have now handed us over to a private sub-contractor, and the early indications are that they are not anywhere near as reliable.
Can anyone advise on our options here? How can we get the agency to improve (e.g. not forget to turn up) ? via Greenwich Council? Alternatively would it be better to seek out more reliable private provision? If so, any recommendations? She lives in Eltham.
Thanks all
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I cannot offer advice re the agency under performing however we have just placed my wife's elderly aunt (93) in a care home base in Hythe on the South coast and it is a minefield selecting the right home.
We viewed in excess of 15 homes and the difference in decor, staff attitude and cost was frightening.
It was a long haul but worth it as the end result has been good and she is happy. Be prepared for some eye watering monthly bills.
Good luck, I hope you find Mum a good one.
Also my great aunt is currently in Fairmount care home in Mottingham, she's happy there and we couldn't be happier with how things are going. Used to be the cricketer WG Grace's house.
http://www.crossroadscaresoutheastlondon.org.uk
Greenwich Council have about 6 staff, they will only provide for a short period after a hospital stay to get you home, believe they are all Nurses.
We have considered private care through bluebird and/or evergreen. However, private is expensive and not guaranteed to be better.
Good luck.
If you have the time why not go direct to a support assistant/personal assistant?
You can employ them directly and pay them a better rate than they would get if they were employed by an agency and you don't have to pay the agencies fees. This will not only save you money but will probably get you more reliability and better outcomes for your mum.
Will your mum be getting a direct payment (DP)? If not she should be able to ask for this, it will give her the freedom to spend her money as she sees fit, otherwise there can be restraints on how much she can spend or what she spends it on. Of course if your mum is paying out of her own money she can do this anyway.
You might also want to get an independent broker in who can come in and work out a plan that is best for your mum. They will save your money if you are a private payer or make your money go further if you have a DP.
PM me if you want more info as this is something I am doing a lot of work on at the moment.
CA
If & when we can no longer cope we were going to use bluebird, as we'd heard good things about them.
http://www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/about-us/our-offices?page=1
Once again, what a great forum CL is. It is fortunate that both my brother and sister are around to assist my Mum, brother is living in, but neither of them have any idea about some of the things mentioned here. But when I told my sister I would check in here, she didn't laugh or scoff, because she already knows what a remarkable forum CL is.
When she was at home the carers ranged from excellent to indifferent. Their job was to give her a meal, a wash and any toileting needs. For this they were allocated 15 minutes and paid something like £3.50.
The home she is in now, while having some faults has been the much better option.
Know what the carer is employed to do. They can be variable as the work is very badly paid and conditions can be poor so motivation at times is low.
Get a good carer and stick with them but be prepared to change the individual or agency of they aren't doing what your mum needs.
If you need to investigate a home, even for day care then have a quiet work with someone who works for a local General Practice, they know or can find out the best ones. They vary enormously.
Good luck @Prague your mum is lucky to have a number of caring family members looking out for her, and of course the whole of CL.
A lot of people don't know how bad things are! I suppose you can't blame them if they don't experience it, but it shames us. Having said that, I can only really speak for Hertfordshire - it may be better elsewhere!
When an individual finds their own support the satisfaction (of the customer with the carer) is massively increased, but this is not always easy to do and it is quite difficult for a carer to go it alone.
The money we spend on agencies is a national disgrace. Depending on where you live you are likely to spend at least 17 pounds an hour of which the carer can get as low as 7 (more in London for both). I am working on a system that eliminates the agency and puts the emphasis on customer and carer relationship.