You cannot make it up at times…
Following my wife being granted CHC funding we have had to change home care provider as the one we had in place was too expensive.
First day today and the new carers were late on both visits so far, had to be reminded to use appropiate PPE, failed to wash hands on arrival and had to be instructed on various stages of personal care. i did not even begin to throw in the challenge of using the portable hoist 
So the new agency is cheaper but its blatantly obvious as to why !
So after i had a look at the Google machine i discover that my wife is entitled to a personal health care budget which the CCGs have a legal duty to inform people about. We was not made aware of this…
So we could have continued with the previous agency with the budget that should have been made known to us…
Anyone else had a similar experience ?
Oh David why is everything made so complicated. I can’t answer your question sadly, but when hubby was granted CHC at the nursing home, I was told how much was being allowed. No suggestion of him being moved to a cheaper home. I would have thought they should at least have explained to you. You are not satisfied with the company and they need to know this. Not easy for you I know.
Well they’ve turned up tonight without gloves and proceeded to use nappy bags instead 
Unbelievable! How were they proposing to wash and brush her teeth ?
Then rolled her onto an injured shoulder causing my wife to cry out in pain which they ignored until I intervened!
So they have been sent packing and strong words will be had in the morning with the manager.
They won’t be coming back under any circumstances! 
Appalling! Your poor wife, crying out in pain and them ignoring it. Hope you get through to the CHC team asap. You and your wife can’t be left without support.
It was shocking ! goodness knows how they treat clients when there isnt a family member present ?
I think the pandemic has resulted in a lot more people needing care in their own homes… my mum for one. She’s mostly recovered cognitively - a miracle in itself - but not physically. I got fed up with carers turning up more than an hour after, or sometimes before, the time given, not cleaning mum’s intimate areas properly (I caught one carer pulling up her pants with activity still going on, if you know what I mean) and they were more interested in getting mum out of the way so they could sit on our chairs and chat while they filled in their log, which took most of the visit. There were a few awkward moments when I almost had to ask them to leave.
The care companies have definitely been pushed to find enough carers and possibly standards are slipping in most. Since I took over care by myself, mum hasn’t had any water infections at all (two months now, where she was having infections almost constantly). Hope I haven’t jinxed that now!
Initially I was very grateful for carers because I had no idea how to care for a person in mum’s condition, but as I became more used to it their visits started to be more trouble than they were worth, which is awful because some of them are lovely. It’s a very tough job, we should know, but it is a job and employees need to do it properly.
I so hope you find suitable carers, and so sorry you have had such a horrible experience.
Thank you Jean
I know exactly what you’re saying regarding the chatting and spending an age making notes of the visit…
the pandemic has not helped the situation and I accept that.
Sheer common sense seems lacking with some of the visits I’ve witnessed…
I wish my had a bit more mobility so I could continue the care myself but that’s sadly not the case anymore…
I’ve been left without any care plan in place now so I’ve been struggling all week on my own and no one seems interested…
There are defo some good agencies and carers and some not so good. It’s worth shopping around. I too understand that with finances so tight I feel I should be grateful for the help. But we do have to keep pushing for higher standards. Yes, they often spend a lot of time doing paperwork and I also find they will do the bear minimum of domestic duties.
I do have to ask them to change the bedsheets, clean the kitchen, I do it myself but I’m trying to care for my Mother and father in separate houses. It’s a blessing getting help with that stuff, but the stress of the confused phone calls. Can’t switch the TV over, can’t find their tablets, fallen down, messed themselves. I feel like I’m on high alert all the time. Making sure my phone is by my bed incase the alarm company calls me. I feel I’m bearly keeping them alive never mind trying find them interesting things they can do, Watch etc. The thought of actually planning a day out horrifies me. And then I feel guilty, cause I feel I should/could do more.
For a few years we were supporting husband’s parents 3 miles in one direction, my parents 5 miles in the other direction, plus our son with learning difficulties. We said we should call ourselves the Thunderbirds, ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice! One New Year’s Eve, after I was widowed, I’d just taken my son back to his flat, I was utterly exhausted. Eldest son and I had some wine with our meal. Something we rarely do. An hour or so later I had a phone call saying mum was I’ll and needed me. It didn’t go down well when I said I couldn’t come as I’d be over the limit!!! I then started going to Crete on holiday to “escape”, only for a member of my son’s staff to email me four or five times about M’s lawn mower cable!!! I forwarded them to SSD in the end and told them to stop this! Now I don’t have access to emails when I’m away. Time off is so important to recharge our own batteries.