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Are they allowed to do this re senior staff

6 replies

littlemiss06 · 28/12/2012 18:27

I work at a care home, ive only been there 7 weeks now, to be honest it seems all over the place, unhappy staff, recently my boss decided to add an extra 12 hours on to my Rota without asking, she said it would even out over the month, not sure how as she increased all my weeks, so over Christmas she had me down to work 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th all nights so basically I wasn't going to see my four kids much at all, I asked for it changed and my hours put back to what they should be, it took four times of mithering until she eventually changed it back to my usual hours, so it meant I only had Christmas day and boxing day nights I was fine with this as it put me back to my 24 hours however on boxing day morning before shift change I was told there would be only two staff on that night, myself and another girl, we need at least three as there are two units, there are several people who need two to lift got in that night and they had thankfully got agency but it meant me and this other girl had to run the home, medication was given before they left we just had to give pain relief if needed but it just doesn't seem right that two of us who had only been there a couple of weeks had the responsibility of a care home with no senior for advice, thankfully we got through the night and everyone was ok but are there any rules on this?

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AgentProvocateur · 28/12/2012 18:35

Yes, there are rules for minimum staffing requirements and qualifications. It's been a while, so I can't quote them but, for Scotland, they'll be on The Care Inspectorate's website. Not sure what English equivalent is.

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hatgirl · 28/12/2012 18:49

again not sure of the rules but not sure unqualified staff are supposed to administer pain relief PRN (as needed) without supervision of a qualified nurse. Is your home council run or privately run? If private then is it run by one of the big companies e.g. southern cross, barchester, four seasons etc or is it a small independent/ family run business? Although technically it makes no difference, this information would be useful in advising you further about how to go about raising any concerns you have.

If you are not willing to provide that information then you can always contact the CQC anonymously or ring your local authority and pass on the information to them (again you should be able to do this anonymously if you wish - however realistically it is less likely to be acted upon as they will be unable to confirm things with you). If you are really interested in working in the care sector then you will easily be able to find another job - unfortunately there are some pretty rubbish working conditions in the care sector across the board.

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bookwormthatturned · 28/12/2012 23:56

Is your home registered as a care home or nursing home? Both will have minimum staffing levels required by CQC. My understanding is that nursing homes are always required to have a qualified nurse on duty. Care homes requirements may vary depending on their size and the needs of the people living there but there should always be someone senior available 'on call' in case of emergencies.

If you have concerns about the level of care in the service DO speak to someone - CQC or the local authority's safeguarding adults team. Elderly people and people with learning disabilities living in care are just so vulnerable and open to potential neglect and abuse. The more specifics you can give the better - even if you do feel you have to report your concerns anonymously (sp?)

Sorry if this is sounding OTT but having seen some of the footage from Winterborne View on the recent Panorama programme, and knowing what great care and support IS possible in well run services, its something I have strong views on!

As hatgirl says, there are good providers out there, so if you're getting worried about the standards of this company do look at alternative providers you could work for instead - often the not-for-profit organisations providing care will invest more in training staff and have a greater focus on quality so are worth looking into. Whatever you do, do act on your gut feelings around concerns about wellbeing of the people you're supporting.

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hatgirl · 29/12/2012 00:13

I agree with everything that bookworm says apart from the bit about the Local Authorities safeguarding adults team. Generally they will only become involved if an adult is being abused or if there a risk or suspicion of abuse (neglect, financial abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse etc) although you raise concerns about staffing there is nothing in your posts that suggests that you have witnessed actual abuse against particular residents and generally safeguarding adults teams will not be the team that will deal with general staffing concerns in a care/ nursing home. This is usually the remit of the contracts/ commissioning team who work closely with the CQC to monitor standards in care homes that the Local Authority has a contract with.

If you have witnessed anything that constitutes neglect or abuse then get straight on the phone/ email to the safeguarding adults team. However from the information you have provided it seems at the moment that this is a training/ staffing issue for you to take up with the management.

Can I just clarify what you mean by two to lift... are you physically lifting people or do you mean two people to safely operate a hoist to lift?

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littlemiss06 · 29/12/2012 10:25

Thanks all :)

Hatgirl sorry yes we do used hoists and stand aids I just meant it needs to of us there to do this and also once they are in bed with the changing and turning etc.

Dont get me wrong the staff are great with the residents, I havent witnessed any form of abuse, the staff work extremely hard its just quite often there are so few of them available it concerns me and obviously the night with no senior available. I am sure that the seniors on days have already took up the staffing with management, I just wish they would take more people on as your getting a phonecall every single day when your off to find cover for shifts, I dread answering the phone! I love my job dont get me wrong, I love caring for the people in the home I work but its just with the kids its hard doing extra hours and im always left feeling guilty for not helping.

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hatgirl · 29/12/2012 12:26

managers get paid to worry about staffing, it is not your problem.

Just make sure you make clear written notes in a factual, non agressive, non emotional way way if you are ever in a position of not being able to manage something because of lack of training or staff. This protects you if anything goes wrong and it also gives the management no excuse that they didn't know there was a problem (e.g. passing the buck down to the people below them) if you bring this to the attention of senior members of staff for them to pass on.

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