Concern over ‘early wake up call’ for elderly
Elderly and disabled residents in north and north west Sutherland will be forced to get up as early as 7am as a result of changes to the local authority’s Care at Home Service, it is claimed.
A Laid pensioner says she has been informed by her carer that, under the new regime, the first visit of the day would be at 7am and not at 10am, as was previously the case.
The woman, who has not been named, has now asked Durness Community Council to take up her complaint about the early morning wake-up call, with the local authority.
Community council chairman, Kevin Crowe, this week confirmed he had been contacted by the woman who claimed she was also acting on behalf of other elderly householders in the area.
Mr Crowe has now brought up the issue with the three North, West and Central Sutherland councillors as well as Thurso based Sandra Sinclair, who administers the Care at Home Service in the area.
The Highland-wide service has undergone a complete “redesign and moderation” over the last four years which has seen the introduction of a new staff rota system.
The new system is just being implemented throughout Sutherland.
In a recent report to Highland councillors, social work director Bill Alexander explained that under the previous system staff started and finished shifts at varying times.
He said: “It was left to individual staff to choose, based on their availability and preference. There was no consistency or equity in relation to the working practice, with example of individual members of staff often choosing when, where and to whom they would provide the service.”
Under the new system, staff work a new standard rota of four days on and four days off, and there are with four shifts a day, from 7am to 11am; 11am to 2pm; 2pm to 5pm and 5pm to 10pm.
Kevin Crowe writes in his letter to Ms Sinclair: “According to those service users who contacted Durness Community Council, carers will now be entering people’s homes as early as 7am to provide the required care.
“This does seem to be somewhat early, particularly as some service users have limited mobility. There are also concerns about additional electricity and fuel costs, particularly with winter approaching with colder weather and much less daylight.”
Mr Crowe adds: “It seems to us that such services should be based on the needs of service users, and not on the convenience for the agencies providing the services.
“Given that many of your clients in Durness and Laid have complained about the proposed changes, it would seem that there has been a lack of consultation with them or, if there has been consultation, their views have not been taken into account.”
Highland Council was asked for a comment but had not responded by the time The Northern Times went to Press.
However, North, West and Central Sutherland councillor Linda Munro said she was looking into the matter.
“Care is provided and delivered with the sole purpose of benefiting the person receiving the service,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you live or who is delivering the service, care services ought to be, and need to be, adding to the quality of life for the service user.
“If the way in which a care service is being delivered is causing genuine distress to the service user then the service delivery is wrong – it really is that simple.”
She added: “I would hope that there exists a sufficient degree of flexibility in the Care at Home shift pattern which allows service users to receive their services at times that are reasonable and fair to both the service user and the staff providing the Care at Home Service.”
