PETITION: Introduce a Minimum Carer to Resident Ratio in Care & Nursing Homes

Please consider signing this e-peition:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/6172

And then invite others to sign too.

Been, done and done it

T/I

Done. Then I wonder how long it will take HM Govt to justify approval for raising care home fees to cover additional staff?

Done that. Thank you for the opportunity Kermit

Done - trouble is enforcing it. The Inspectors need to check out of normal hours/weekends/late at night but will they, could they. NO doubt it.
Miss Piggie

Signed-up.

BUT - don't think it will make a scrap of difference to my friend. Today I visited - 20 minutes - 15 people in lounge (with the TV, of course). Nurse with her back to the lounge writing-up the notes - two care assistants sitting in the lounge, one reading a book the other doing something with a mobile phone: nobody taking a blind bit of notice of any of the residents; this was the state of play for the whole 20 minutes.

And they have my arm tied behind my back (at the moment) because they have made it clear that if I rock the boat my friend will suffer(through action taken against me). Just wait until I'm free to complain - to all and sundry

peterandjohn wrote:Signed-up.
And they have my arm tied behind my back (at the moment) because they have made it clear that if I rock the boat my friend will suffer(through action taken against me). Just wait until I'm free to complain - to all and sundry

How exactly have they made it clear and what do you mean by "through action taken against me" - unless you do something destructive to the home or are abusive to the staff they cannot ask you to leave can they?
I know well how it feels not to want to rock the boat though.
MissPiggie

Will PM you with the story. The NHS threatened to take away my POA (ok, I know they can't do that but I cannot face fighting them in the COP).

Hello Peter and John,

I have signed it as well.

You are not in a very easy position with that care home at the moment and you need to be up for it to deal with the COP.

The staffing levels at some of these pla[code]

Hello Peter and John,

Did something wrong there; hit something I shouldnt have.

Was saying that the staffing levels in a lot of these homes leaves a lot to be desired.

Very kind regards la chatte

All confirmed, I hope!
(should there also be a maximum number of staff in a lounge? At my mother's home, the lounge, supposedly for residents, is only ever used by staff. My mum is much too ill to be in any lounge, but then, she only has social needs Seems the staff do plenty of socialising there....

Onwards.....

Done. Yes there should be adequate and safe space in any one lounge for residence.
sheba32

The law is, that a lounge in any care home should always have at least one member of staff to monitor the service users, If it is the case that the lounge is left unattended at any time, the staff are in breach of their statute duty of care, and would thus be guilty of a misconduct charge

If you are threatened by care home staff because of making any complaints due to staffing levels this will be tantermount to your human rights being breached, Under section 8 & 14 of the Human rights Act's

I have endured all of the above, I have been put on restriction when visiting, I was threatened with being banned from visiting our mother, Their own solicitors Had to point it out to them that they would be breaching the human rights Act if they banned me from the home

Do what I done and that is take photo's of staff watching the TV, Also when the lounge is un staffed any breach of health and safety

T/I

T/I:

Do what I done and that is take photo's of staff watching the TV, Also when the lounge is un staffed any breach of health and safety

The problem as I see it is that the care assistants are so low paid (and probably lack training) that they either know no better or don't care (and I wouldn't go so far as saying that). It is the Care Home Manager who is responsible - and I very rarely ever see her around the place. It is to her (and the CEO of the Company) who will get my complaints at the appropriate time.
Having said that, if I saw an instance where a resident is seriously at risk I'd report it.
I do take my camera with me when I visit - mostly to take pics of any bruising that might be to my friend's face.

The Informer wrote:The law is, that a lounge in any care home should always have at least one member of staff to monitor the service users, If it is the case that the lounge is left unattended at any time, the staff are in breach of their statute duty of care, and would thus be guilty of a misconduct charge.
T/I

Good afternoon, T/I.

That's a new one on me, as they say. Can you provide a link to 'wherever' that law is cited/referred to/stated?

Thank you kindly.

Hi, Kermit

This would come under the Human Rights Act Articles 8/14, Also the dignity in care policy I.e. Negligence in care, Breach of safety

Service users dignity and safety are breached when a group of dementia patients are left UN monitored, even if only for a short period, Immobile patients are in danger from the mobile patients, If UN monitored/ UN attended in other words no staff to protect them or intervene to ward off any potential attack. Or to make sure that service user are not in danger of falling Due to sedation (Medication) a lounge in a care home is the same as a hospital ward

Patient's are to be monitored for safety and their dignity to be protected from others who may pose any threat or danger to them, at all times.


This was my line of argument with the powers that be, I put it to them that it is tantamount to gross negligence and gross misconduct to leave service users UN attended at any time in the lounges as it breaches their human rights Re health and safety, also their dignity,

They offered no denial long story, The end result the lounges are now staffed at all times, staff have been instructed to call for cover if they need to leave the lounge for any reason, A notice has also been posted in all lounges

And this is in a N.H.S Mental health assessment Unit with long term continuing care beds, for dementia patients

If I can blow my own trumpet , I have been told by Hertfordshire adult care services Manager that they had learned valuble lessons from speaking with me, That they have taken seriously My concerns & comments and have implimented changes within the unit

That's a new one on me, as they say. Can you provide a link to 'wherever' that law is cited/referred to/stated?

The nearest thing to it is here, I cannot find any actual Law

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtrights/156/156i.pdf



T/I

Well done, T/I lets hope this means a chink of hope in the area of reflective practice. Kermit is spot on in saying that these people cannot imagine that they don't know it all - I know personally of a case of total disregard in the face of a detailed professional report with specific advice/instructions. They knew better.... so much better that they caused choking. Instructions to only give mashed / pureed food were ingored, whilst pressing ahead with a totally unsuitable diet and unsuitable textures. Result? choking. Result? Carry on as before. Yes, I know there are some admirable staff out there but there are some absolute morons as well. It says a great deal about your ingtegrity and perseverance that you have managed to make yourself heard against these odds.

Hi, Avenger

Thanks for the nice words on integrity love it

My advice to all is don't cower like they want you to, the law is there to protect you as well, just get your fact's right and they cant argue, When challenged

A few voice recordings and pohto's puts them right on their toes, I had one high up N.H.S bod tell me he could demand, take, confiscate, all of my photo's and recordings, I Stood up and said go on then, I have the originals and duplicates in other places

the ones i got hear are copies, i threw them at him and said be my guest, Sue me never heard another word, all fabricated evidence they allegedly had against me could not be evidenced thus was dropped the photo's and recordings proved them totaly wrong. Had i breached any privacy, confidentiality, data protection Act

Answere no, I had not divulged any content to a third party

T/I

Great stuff, T/I and it seems we 'crossed' in our very recent 'Which' comments, both making the same point to one who is confused. (a plant? Not an orchid though...)

avenger wrote:Great stuff, T/I and it seems we 'crossed' in our very recent 'Which' comments, both making the same point to one who is confused. (a plant? Not an orchid though...)

Plant , possibly or just totaly confused, as we all know the N.H.S Grand National course is deisigned to make all runners fall

T/I

PS I had a good whip

A fair point... there is indeed every opportunity to become extremely confused in all this.

Signed petition - all done and dusted.

(I hope you're counting how many times you have to use that whip TI - be careful you don't get a ban!)

Ban, they tried all that but i was 2 furlongs in front of them, they could not knock me out of my stride, no more stewards enquiery's,

T/I

avenger wrote:A fair point... there is indeed every opportunity to become extremely confused in all this.

Seems I may have been too quick to praise. Ern, allegedly "your tone is aggressive and rude".

I suppose there are always some who do not want to be confused by the facts.. I wondered about trying to re-state the case, but I don't think there is a very receptive person there. I can understand people becoming bitter and irate - but at a duck?? And then I thought - shall I put in a word for the lawyers, some of whom do know exactly what they are doing and do recover fees from many years' worth of payments? I very nearly did but something told me that this would be seen as a hostile move. So I put the kettle on. (And I really did not mean to be aggressive!! It was meant as a battle cry!) I recall Robin Lovelock's words -' its hard not to appear shrill...' So true. Nice cup of tea anyone?

avenger wrote: Nice cup of tea anyone?

No thanks, make mine something stronger - something with bite, or even with teeth.

Hee Hee!!!!

Thank you T/I for the link re ECHR and care homes. This led me on to reading the relevant Articles numbered in your link in detail. More cutting, copying and pasting.
Sheba32

Signed.