We've had our initial meeting with care provider. It got quite emotional. We feel devalued as carers with 28 years experience whilst being left as his only care option while the administrative changes kick in. They were very sympathetic but have no option but to stop sending nurses to help covering the night shift when he's at home without breaking the law. They will also be acting illegally if they send nurses to our home when he is ill, or into hospital if he is admitted (despite having a detailed protocol agreed with the Health Trust), so it's even worse than we thought. Incidentally, if they can't send the nurses where he is (when ill) they will still have them contracted - they will have to pay them to do nothing or lay them off, while we do all his care, 24/7 unpaid.
This is all the result of CQC changing the registration rules. I've written to CQC and am awaiting an answer. We're arranging to meet the service commissioners and may be forced to take Direct Payment (against our will.)
We had a package of care that suited my son, worked well and was officially regarded as 'excellent' and innovative - but for purely administrative reasons this is now to be dismantled. We will rebuild it, but it will take time, stress and heartache, and I resent having to. It's already cost us many nights sleep, will almost certainly cost us more work and covering more shifts unassisted than we do now, and will not improve my sons care one iota. It may even cost the public more to administer. The best we'll get out of this is to insulate him from the changes, though if he gets ill during the changes, even this may not be possible.
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I hear you!
ReplyDeleteThis is horrific and it goes against all that we are told 'should be happening' about making care packages more person-centred. It feeds directly into my feelings that it is all about money-saving rather than providing more person-centred packages.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot of time for CQC - or at least, in their current form. I say this quite honestly when I say one of my best friends work for them and is incredibly distressed at the changes but that doesn't help you.
Regulators need to be good, strong and flexible and it seems that they are the opposite. I suspect it is because of cuts in CQC staff as well.
I'm glad it isn't just me. There seems a real fear of criticising CQC out there, even when they do things that are patently inappropriate. It's a bit like the secret police sometimes. But they do get it wrong and it needs to be said. I'm waiting for their response at present.
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