Trust accused of ‘poor service’

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said her mother’s bedclothes and nightdress were not being changed.

It was also alleged that one of the carers hurt her arm as she was cleaning her.

A complaint was made to the Trust on the matter and, despite only one nurse allegedly causing problems, the entire service being provided was changed.

“The rest of the carers were great,” she said.

“It was just this one woman who we had a problem with, but when we made a complaint to the Trust, they changed the entire service.”

She continued: “This one carer didn’t seem to care. On one occasion I told her that she was hurting my mum’s arm, but she refused to listen.

“She didn’t even speak to her. She just went into her room and started to sing and hum. This really annoyed my mother. This lasted for about two weeks before I complained to the Trust.”

The 79-year-old has been bed ridden for a number of years after suffering a number of heart attacks and strokes, requiring daily care.

The woman continued: “Sometimes she failed to change her bed when it was wet. She would just wipe over it with a piece of cloth.

“My mum has a small table beside her bed to but her water on. On a number of occasions, the carer would move the table away from her. I confronted the nurse about this, but she didn’t want to know about it.”

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust said it was unable to comment on individual circumstances.

Brendan Whittle, Assistant Director of Older People for the Trust, said: “The Trust has processes in place to ensure the service for clients is provided to the highest quality standards.

“All clients should expect and receive a quality of service which promotes their dignity and wellbeing.”

Mr Whittle added: “The Trust takes all complaints very seriously and carries out a full investigation into each complaint.”

Clients or carers with any concerns about their domiciliary care service are encouraged to raise these with their Key Worker or Domiciliary Care Supervisor.

They can also use the Trust’s formal complaints procedure by contacting 3861 4150 or email [email protected]