Unfortunately Liz Thomson’s moving account of her experiences with the agency providing care for her father (My father was failed by homecare company, 23 September) will come as no surprise to many relatives of people who have needed domiciliary support.
In my experience there are genuinely kind and committed carers, but there are also some for whom it is a demanding and poorly paid job for which they have little aptitude. Some will deliver the best service they can in often challenging circumstances; others may not provide anything approaching real “care” and in the worst case can exploit the access they have to the homes of vulnerable clients.
Even if relatives are close enough to visit regularly, it can be hard to judge how bad the underperformance is unless the evidence is undeniable (with one elderly relative I found faeces on the bathroom floor that had clearly been there for more than 24 hours, with a younger but severely disabled family member I discovered a thriving colony of maggots in the fridge), particularly if clients are sometimes confused. This is such a personal business that when making a complaint there is the constant fear that it may rebound unfairly on either the cared-for or the carer. Once the person is no longer vulnerable (often because they have died) the urge to complain may be overwhelmed by grief and exhaustion. I suspect that these factors may contribute to some agencies and the regulatory body having a rosier view of the state of care than is justified by the facts.
Nicola Mayhew
London
• Good to see a care provider named and shamed by Liz Thomson, and at the same time the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence saying what’s needed to improve care (Staff need support from care providers – and the time to do their jobs, 23 September).
I could name and shame a string of providers each having the same, and different, issues in the care of my father – but what can you do? We live in a profit-driven capitalist society. It amazes me that there are so many people who defy this ethos – evidenced by the groundswell for Jeremy Corbyn. Until a government controls massive profit-making on the back of the vulnerable, I can’t see anything changing. My homesharer, when I exclaimed at the additional cost for one-to-one care for my father in a nursing home, said “do the lottery”. I tried to explain that the lottery is just a way for rich people to make money from the poor. I wouldn’t do it on principle. It shouldn’t be allowed. But choosing a care provider could be seen as a lottery. The profiteers among them all blithely promise the best care, knowing that this is totally unlikely.
Christine Dixon
London
