Examples reported by clients include:

Not knowing who will visit and at what time. One client said: “We are never informed when changes are made and when we do have a rota late arrivals are always blamed on “sickness”,”

Care workers are always rushed and not always prepared or provided with adequate client information.

Clients have to instruct care workers what is required during their visits.
Inexperienced and inadequately trained care workers unable to undertake basic tasks.

Lack of understanding in administering medication at the correct times.

Clients at risk due to minimal reference to Clients’ Care Plans.

Clients’ and family members’ concerns aren’t being listened to.

Clients have lost faith and confidence in the support being provided by Mears.Staff reported demoralisation through reduced job satisfaction and concerns for clients’ safety.

Staff in turn reported demoralisation through reduced job satisfaction and concerns for clients’ safety.

These are the report’s main conclusions:

A lack of continuity in care and inadequate response to complaints or concerns from Mears’ office staff are common themes to the feedback.

The majority of clients highlight care workers arriving at the wrong times, or, in the worst cases, not arriving at all. There appears to be an ‘erratic rota system’.

A common complaint is that same-sex care workers were requested but the requests were ignored.

A lack of ‘familiar’ faces causes concern especially for those with dementia.

Inconsistency of rotas having too many ‘unallocated’ slots together with ‘poor’ communication, leading to stress and anxiety for clients and their families.

Many feel that care workers lack ‘appropriate training’ with regard to specific medical conditions and even in such basics as food hygiene.

Many also feel that care workers are often in a hurry to complete tasks.

In particular, both care workers and clients want consistency. Many expressed disbelief at the way the rota system is managed.

Both clients and care workers request that a more consistent and structured approached is used when putting together clients’ rotas, rather than the chaotic and random system currently being experienced.

Further, travel time is part of a carer’s working day and care workers want to be paid for it. (If travel time is included in the wage calculations most care workers are not being paid the minimum wage.)

Evidence collected from current and former staff members of Mears highlighted that they are hugely dissatisfied with the way in which they, and the clients, are being treated, while a typical comment is that the office is not ‘helpful’.

Incomplete Care Plans, together with care workers having insufficient time to read them, impacts on the care needs of the clients, with concerns that complex care is often not met.

New staff are given insufficient support and are leaving due to lack of care in the system.

Care staff feel untrained for the care tasks they are asked to undertake

Healthwatch is recommending an audit of the ways in which Mears complies with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. It is sending a formal letter of concern to Mears’ clients and will review the service again in six months to make sure its recommendations have been met.

Mears is a nationwide organisation which provides care for older and disabled people in their own homes.”