Elderly denied loo breaks and kept indoors in short-staffed care homes, say care workers

Elderly and vulnerable people in care homes are being denied trips to the toilet and are kept indoors for days because of severe staff shortages, say care home workers.

The majority (83 per cent) of 1,003 care workers, surveyed by the trade union UNISON, said they are so rushed they are compromising the dignity and well-being of the people they look after.

No time to help residents eat, drink or go to toilet

Some 89 per cent said a lack of staff is to blame, with more than a quarter (27 per cent) not having the time to help elderly people to eat and drink. Some 26 per cent of care workers also report often being too busy to take people to the toilet or even notice if a resident’s health has deteriorated.

Most care workers (83 per cent) say they’re rarely able to stop for a brief chat with the people they’re looking after or take them outside for a breath of fresh air.

Staff admit continence pad rationing and re-use

The poll also reveals some care home bosses are making staff (27 per cent) ration equipment like continence pads, wet wipes, gloves, wheelchairs and hoists. In some cases, staff are resorting to re-using continence pads on residents because of budget cutbacks.

When asked to detail what their residents were missing, hundreds of care home staff said they did not have enough continence pads for their residents. Gloves and wipes were often in short supply. A lack of slide sheets, standing aids, hoists and adjustable beds was also highlighted by staff.

One care home worker responding to the survey said: “One of our wheelchair-bound residents will often sit for hours smelling of urine because she’s only allowed two (continence) pads a day.”

Another said: “Continence pads run out twice a month, wheelchairs are either broken, have missing footplates or are too small for larger residents. New wheelchairs are usually donated by the families of residents who have passed away.”

No time to wash hair or cut nails

Almost a third of staff surveyed said there’s often not enough time to help residents wash their hair (32 per cent) or cut their nails (56 per cent).

Some 29 per cent said they don’t have time to wash, bath or shower residents.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “It’s shocking that some care home owners are being allowed to look after people when they don’t have enough staff to deliver quality care. The Government must act now to fund social care properly and protect the most vulnerable in society.”

The findings of poor care, based on staff working in private and local authority care homes in the UK, occurs despite 80 per cent of staff regularly working through their breaks.

No time to chat with residents

Some 88 per cent of care home staff said they do not have time for a conversation with residents.

One care worker said: “It’s horrible working 12 and a half hour shifts, running around, and at the end of your shift you haven’t completed all your duties, let alone spent five minutes with a resident without being called away to do something else. We meet only basic needs and then most of them are rushed. It is very sad.”

UNISON is demanding ‘urgent action’ and has launched a Residents' Care Charter to improve standards in care homes.

Residents Care Charter

UNISON’s residential care charter “seeks to put an end to the poor treatment of residents and the workers who look after them".

Mr Prentice added: “Elderly people should expect the best possible care, whether they are being looked after in their own accommodation, or in a care home."

On 19 June, a Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary was broadcast which highlighted care home staff shortages and the rationing of continence pads.