Strike Threat For Fife’s Troubled Home Care Service

Home carers have warned of an ever-deepening crisis within Fife Council’s social work service. And staff have become so frustrated and disheartened by the situation they are faced with, there have even been rumblings of possible strike action.

Several home carers contacted The Press following our report last week which highlighted a number of concerns over recent changes to the home care service, including staff shortages, delays in providing care and the use of agency staff.

Even a former service manager and a union official have agreed the situation must be addressed now to prevent growing discontent among staff.

One home carer, who did not want to be named, said she was appalled by senior manager John Alexander’s comments, in which he stated that a recent review of the service had improved its capacity to deliver essential care.

“Mr Alexander obviously has no idea about what is going on within the service – which is fast becoming a fiasco,” she said.

”Until a few months ago home care provided an excellent service. It has now become a shambles due to mismanagement.”

She said many clients were having to depend on friends and family to assist while they waited for a carer to be provided, meanwhile others were having to wait in hospital for longer than necessary until a carer became available.

Care workers views were echoed by one former service manager, who said councils were chasing targets at the expense of quality care.

“This leads to under-staffing, ‘out-sourcing’ to agencies, providing a poor and inefficient service and less than effective care,” he said.
“Nowhere does the care aspect enter into any of this – it is all about targets and money.”

Joyce Cooper, secretary of the Fife branch of GMB, the trade union which represents many home carers, said the Council needed to clarify why carers’ hours were being cut, despite a rise in demand for the service.

“Having spoken to members of staff, it appears Fife Council has shut the books on weekend home care services and on housework such as ironing, which a lot of older people desperately need,” she said.

“Meanwhile a lot of carers are having their hours cut back and they are finding that when they lose clients, they are not being replaced.

“The carers are definitely frustrated and worried about the situation and they feel it has gotten worse with the change in pay and conditions and the budget cutbacks.”

Fife Council said the recent service review had been necessary to meet the increasing challenges posed by demographic changes, in particular the growth in the elderly population, and the anticipated steady increase in demand for “round-the-clock” services.

A spokesman said: “Should some staff remain unclear about the changes, they should consult their managers through the normal channels to enable their concerns to be dealt with promptly.”

Addressing concerns relating to waiting times for care, staff shortages and the use of agency staff, the local authority said it continued to recruit staff to meet demand, while using trained agency carers to supplement its own direct services.

Meanwhile, service users referred from hospitals were considered a priority for assessment and support at home.

Left with no care for three weeks

MARTHA Brown (50), of Dysart, has received home care from Fife Council for about seven years due to a medical condition.

After her condition deteriorated recently, she became confined to a wheelchair, and had to move into a specially adapted home three weeks ago.

Her home care was reassessed but she is yet to receive the service.
“I was re-assessed for home care within two days of moving but since then I have had no help.

“Whenever I have been in touch with the Council, I have been passed from one person to
another.

“I was eventually told this week that the Council didn’t have a carer available to allocate to me. I’ve been told I might get one next week but that’s not definite.

“Despite this I’m still paying my direct debit every month.

“I don’t receive personal care – my husband takes care of that, but I used to get someone in to help with cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and doing the ironing.

“My husband David is 77 years old and he can’t do everything.

“I feel that because I don’t require personal care I have been shoved away and forgotten about, as though I’m not a priority.

“My last home carer was pulling her hair out with all the work she was expected to do.

“It’s very frustrating – I feel very let down.

”And every time I call the Council nobody seems to be able to deal with the situation.”

Fife Council was unable to provide a comment by the time we went to press.