NORTH EAST 'HUGELY DISSATISFIED' WITH STANDARDS

A recent survey conducted in the North East has identified that at least half of all people who have experienced home care services are extremely dissatisfied with the level of care they currently receive. The Great North Care Debate Survey published today identified the views and experiences of 344 local people regarding access to social care to gauge how satisfied people are with the level of care they receive in a care home or home care setting.

Whilst North East care homes come out more favourably in the survey, home care is seen in a much less favourable light, with nearly 60% of all responders wanting to make changes to their current home care provider. The biggest failing seems to be around the level of care they receive. In at least a third of all cases a template plan had been put in place which did not take into account the needs of the individual and, when attempts were made to have the care plan changed or complain about the level of care, most found it impossible to get in touch with the home care provider’s management team.

One anonymous survey respondent has been campaigning for some time to bring about changes to the system after her mother who suffered from dementia experienced appalling care. “The biggest challenge is that when most care plans are initially agreed, they are only suitable at that moment in time; what is not being recognised is that care plans expire the moment they are signed because the capabilities of someone living with dementia can deteriorate at an alarmingly rapid rate so they suddenly require a different level of care.

“The standard 15 minute visit only allows the carer to do one thing for the person such as give them breakfast or get them up. Anyone who has had any experience of taking care of someone with dementia knows that it can take much longer than this just to get them to acknowledge you. We need more training around dementia so the people who are putting these plans in place and implementing them understand what is actually needed on a day-to-day basis.”