Agency Staff Hired As Home Carers In Fife

Some home carers in Fife are not working their full quota of hours while the council is forced to employ agency staff to carry out similar duties.

This was the bizarre scenario outlined to concerned councillors this week when it was reported that the use of agency staff by the local authority had risen from 1.2 per cent to 1.7 per cent.

Social work boss Stephen Moore said that Fife used agency staff “considerably less” than other councils and they were only used where their own home care staff were not available or unwilling to take on the work.

“We have staff who we need to use and we don’t see the point in letting them sit at home if they can be used,” he said.

“We want to understand if they are not working the full hours they are contracted to, why it is happening, and that’s why we have set up forums with staff, management, unions and council officials so we can hear what the issues are.”

Councillor Andrew Rodger expressed his shock at the situation.
“I was told that if staff are contracted for 20 hours and they have worked 16 then the other four hours they would be put into one of the local homes and be given other work to do.

”Are you saying that staff are sitting at home for these hours?”
Mr Moore explained that there were different rates of pay for residential home workers and home care workers.

“They are saying ‘I am not prepared to work in an old people’s home because I am not paid the same rate’ and that is what we need to manage.

”We are obliged to offer a service, and if our staff don’t want to or are not available we have to bring in agency staff,” he said.

Councillor Tim Brett, chairman of the social work and health committee added: “Staff themselves are not happy about it, and we need to give them the chance to resolve this with the trade unions.”

Councillors agreed that a report on the situation be brought back to the January meeting when there would be a report into the whole home care service.