Does Care In Our Community Matter OR Funding?

Hi, Welcome everyone to my latest post a lot has happened since last time and my time has become quite limited as my mother has been very ill. I have assumed the role of part/full-time carer together with co-ordinating a number of key services across the range of facilities from physiotherapist to support workers.

Having been involved in the caring profession for a number of years l have nothing but admiration for the dedicated people that give their time and energy to either caring for an elderly person in their own home. Or the carers that work out in the community or are based in a specific care home.

I know when l was based in 2 particular care homes l was surrounded by either excellent carers and nurses or people that thought of it as a job, mainly agency based personnel. So returning to a single carers role for the past 6 weeks has helped focus me on my role not just as a carer but also as an adminstrater of services that do not seem to have any rhyme or reason.

Basically there are a lot of different agencies, consultancies and service providers but each department or organisation does not know what the other one is doing. For example ask for a particular type of service namely " Lifeline" this is prevalent in our area and you get a new service provider that will connect your phone to a control centre so should my mother fall then they visit. This seems very simple in essence but add the fact my mother has lifeline in her home already it has to be changed to take account of the new service provider, why you may ask as she already has a lifeline box, but as we called in under a " falls situation" we now have to add to the box another agency funded by our council in Warwickshire. So now we have 2 agencies/organisations over-lapping each other and adding more problems for an 85 year old woman.

By now as me your asking why are two agencies involved and the reason is simply funding, ring fenced or otherwise and both parties have to justify their existence by filling in copious amounts of forms, collecting data and advising on a number so of visits this is just to allow us to gather details for " Health and Safety". As the number of people gather at various times all basically asking the same questions.

Well by now l am really confused, first before the fall she has asked nothing for the last 2 years, one fall followed by a second and in come the service providers taking over my mothers life, not one key to let themselves into her home but two. It goes on and on - a bit like me.

Anyway you get my point the left-hand does not know what the right-hand is doing and everyone has to justify what they are doing to get more funding next year, all under the auspices of so called over the top " Health & Safety. Of course the chance of being sued should the family member be hurt or not get the services provided in the right way.

Many moons ago charity began with people called the Romans who set-up communities to provide assistance to their family, friends and neighbours, this was called " Caritas" which is Latin for charity. They had no problems in caring they just saw it as everyday life. Many years later we set-up the " Community Care Act in 1990 and intended to provide "Caritas" but it became money and funding was ring fenced in favour of looking good, to voters.

This may seem an odd post from me but it needed to be voiced and should anyone feel as l do l have learned a lot as a management consultant how to contract the right services in the right way, by the way you present the need.

So anyone like to comment send me an email or leave a comment on the blog.

Speak soon - or is it ramble any bye for now ED