Live Life Care Ltd

Whilst there are undoubtedly some excellent carers, the majority practice a policy of 'get in and out' in less than the time being paid for. Often this amounted to as little as a 10 minute visit for a half-hour slot being invoiced. Many were haplessly untrained leaving catheter valves 'off' and bags in positions that had no chance of properly draining. Whilst the carers themselves were good people their rotas were so messed around that they were left running ragged. The common complaint was that when Seniors covered absenteeism, they would slice and dice the runs to 'cherry pick' the easy patients leaving the regular carers all the tricky ones. As a final roll of the dice, Mum received a happy birthday card for Dad 11 days after he passed away, which was very upsetting on top of not one single representative turning up to the funeral service for which details had been requested and supplied in good time.

In short, management needs to take a hard look at how they treat staff.

I have been a client for two years and my needs are comparatively few; a daily visit lasting less than 20 minutes. Trying to remember the carers who have called in that time, there have been constant changes. I can name at least eight. They have all been courteous and efficient. They have also been generally very stressed and sometimes distracted. There seem to be two major issues, not including the additional strain of coronavirus. They are;
1. The constant demands placed upon them by the office. The 'run' is frequently changed, additional clients included at short notice, and insufficient time allowed for the carer to travel. This sometimes has even resulted in lunch breaks being cut short. Carers have been woken in the night by phone calls from the office.

2. Personal money problems. The pay is appallingly little. The work requires compassion and understanding and patience. It is hard to be patient when you are expected to work to a tight, unpredictable schedule.