Carers who miss appointments saying dementia sufferers forgot visit, MP claims

Carers who repeatedly miss appointments with dementia sufferers have been claiming their patients did not remember them visiting, MPs have heard.

Labour’s Rosena Allin-Khan, a former A&E doctor, added family members of patients have started hiding in their cars in order to prove to council officials that a carer has not attended.

Ms Allin-Khan (pictured) made the claims as she backed Labour’s call for the Government to “urgently bring forward” funding promised for the social care system.

Speaking in the Commons, the Tooting MP said Wandsworth Council is having to contract out to people with Care Quality Commission ratings of “requiring improvement”.

She told ministers: “Let me ask you, if you may look up from your phones for a moment, would that be good enough for your family? Would that be good enough for my family? I think not.

“I think all the families in the UK deserve care from people that don’t just require improvement but that are delivering the best possible care because they deserve absolutely nothing less.

“In Tooting, I’ve had reports of patients sitting in their homes waiting for the knock on the door from their carer who hasn’t shown up day after day after day.

“I have heard of family members having to hide in their cars just to prove to the council that the carers are not showing up, because the carers are saying ‘Your dad unfortunately has dementia, he didn’t remember that we came’.

“This is not good enough for our families. This is a cross-party issue. I implore you, please, please do the right thing, see what I’m saying here.”

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