Home carers 'just don't have time'
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said that a quarter of agencies providing home-help services to people in England are failing to meet all the required quality and safety standards.
CQC inspectors said that while many organisations were delivering good care, there were still areas of concern about missed or late appointments, lack of knowledge and skills among carers, and a failure to involve family members.
Michelle Mitchell, from Age UK, told the Today programme presenter Evan Davis: "It's good that the majority are meeting basic standards of care but we hear lots of stories about the social care system not working... there are one or two issues of where safeguarding has not been dealt with properly, but the real issue is different carers, not turning up on time... often they just don't have the time."
"There is a difference between how you deliver care with passion and dignity and listening to the individual about how they want it delivered as well," Ms Mitchell added.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Wednesday 13 February 2013.
13 Feb 2013
- From the section Health