Home care concerns
AT a time when the Department of Health is in the midst of a consultation on proposals for wide ranging changes in Health and Social Care services, Ballycastle SDLP councillor Dónal Cunningham has raised concerns about the provision of home care.
He cites the publication of a report by health service union UNISON into the standard of home care, which he says shows how poor terms and conditions for the home care workforce have a big impact on their ability to provide a good level of care to service users.
“Although the research was mostly carried out in England, I think it is fair to say that many of the problems are faced here, these include - visiting times which are too short, ‘call-cramming’ and inadequate levels of training.
“If as the Department proposes a greater amount of care is to be provided at home and in the community, we must insist that steps are taken to markedly improve the standard of home care.”