You never hear about the good carers … carers …

Newmarket Journal – November 2011 C

Published on Thursday 8 December 2011 07:00

A CARER from Lakenheath has hit back at a recent criticism of carers and the home care system which supports elderly people.

Sarah Riseborough, of Sandgalls Road, has spoken out to defend the work of carers after a report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) stated that the home care provided by carers often failed to meet the basic rights of elderly people.

The inquiry, ‘Close to home: older people and human rights in home care’, reported many examples of elderly people’s human rights being breached including physical or financial abuse, disregard for privacy and dignity, failure to support elderly people with eating or drinking and neglect.

Miss Riseborough, 21, who has been a carer for five years and works for the Newmarket-based Cambridge Care Company, said that since financial cuts to the care system meant there was less time and money available for elderly people.

She said: “I agree there are some carers that don’t really care and abuse takes place all the time. But how are carers supposed to do their jobs properly when costs keep being cut?”

Miss Riseborough, who also works with young people with disabilities and visits up to 30 people a day, said: “I see so many old people that need more care but they aren’t funded because the money isn’t there.”

The report, which collected evidence from more than 1,200 individuals and organisations across the UK, said that in some cases more weight was given to cost than to an acceptable quality of care. It said one in three local authorities had already cut back on home care spending with a further one in five planning to do so by next year.

Sally Greengross, an EHRC commissioner, said: “It is essential that care services respect people’s basic human rights. This is not about burdensome red tape, it is about protecting people from the kind of dehumanising treatment we have uncovered.

“The emphasis is on saving pennies rather than providing a service which will meet the very real needs of our grandparents, our parents, and eventually all of us.”

Miss Riseborough said she often looks after clients outside of her working hours to make sure they get the care they need.

She said: “You never hear about good carers that go out of their way to make people happy. We have no time and our main priority is our patient. We end up doing more than we are paid to do. I do cleaning and shopping for some of my old dears, out of my working hours, because if I don’t do it they have no food and if they have no food they don’t eat.

“Being a carer is hard. You take your work load home, even though we aren’t supposed to. These are people who need us and depend on us. It’s not like finishing at an office at 5pm and turning off the lights.”

Councillor Colin Noble, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for adult and community services said: “All councils across the country are facing budget restrictions as a result of reductions in Government funding. In Suffolk we are committed to protecting front-line services and when faced with reduced resources and an increasing older population we have to think of other ways of helping people to help themselves in order to avoid the need for long term care.

“The council highly values the skills and dedication of the role of carers in whatever setting they work, be that in residential homes or in people’s own homes.

“Everybody is entitled to an assessment of their care need and, if they are eligible, the county council will provide funding to meet their needs.”

To read the full report visit www.equalityhumanrights.com

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