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| Elderly 'suffer from poor home care' | Elderly 'suffer from poor home care' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News | By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News |
| A quarter of home-care services provided to the elderly in England are failing to meet quality and safety standards, inspectors say. | A quarter of home-care services provided to the elderly in England are failing to meet quality and safety standards, inspectors say. |
| More than 700,000 people above the age of 65 rely on home help for activities such as washing, dressing and eating. | More than 700,000 people above the age of 65 rely on home help for activities such as washing, dressing and eating. |
| But the Care Quality Commission found evidence of rushed appointments and botched assessments during its review of 250 services. | But the Care Quality Commission found evidence of rushed appointments and botched assessments during its review of 250 services. |
| Campaigners said it was a sign of how much pressure the system was under. | Campaigners said it was a sign of how much pressure the system was under. |
| On Monday, ministers announced plans for a £75,000 cap on the amount the elderly will have to pay for social care in England - only the poorest get it free. | On Monday, ministers announced plans for a £75,000 cap on the amount the elderly will have to pay for social care in England - only the poorest get it free. |
| The proposal aims to stop the elderly having to sell their homes to pay for care. | The proposal aims to stop the elderly having to sell their homes to pay for care. |
| But the move will do nothing to get extra money into the system, something the sector believes is vital if the quality of services is going to be improved. | But the move will do nothing to get extra money into the system, something the sector believes is vital if the quality of services is going to be improved. |
| 'Significant impact' | 'Significant impact' |
| Home help services are considered essential in keeping people out of more expensive care homes. | Home help services are considered essential in keeping people out of more expensive care homes. |
| The numbers getting help is pretty evenly split between self-funders and those who get council-funded care. | The numbers getting help is pretty evenly split between self-funders and those who get council-funded care. |
| This review looked at the support being provided to both - and found too many were struggling to maintain standards. | This review looked at the support being provided to both - and found too many were struggling to maintain standards. |
| A total of 26% failed on at least one standard. | A total of 26% failed on at least one standard. |
| One of the most common issues identified related to late, rushed or missed visits. | One of the most common issues identified related to late, rushed or missed visits. |
| The regulator also highlighted assessments that had missed vital information, such as a diagnosis of diabetes, and care records that were incomplete, meaning problems such as pressure ulcers could be missed by carers. | The regulator also highlighted assessments that had missed vital information, such as a diagnosis of diabetes, and care records that were incomplete, meaning problems such as pressure ulcers could be missed by carers. |
| Concerns were also raised about the way services were monitored and complaints handled. | Concerns were also raised about the way services were monitored and complaints handled. |
| The regulator said home care providers, many of which are private companies, needed to work closely with local authorities to remedy the problems. | The regulator said home care providers, many of which are private companies, needed to work closely with local authorities to remedy the problems. |
| It warned the problems identified could have a "significant impact" on the elderly, many of whom did not complain because of a fear of reprisals or loyalty to their carer. | It warned the problems identified could have a "significant impact" on the elderly, many of whom did not complain because of a fear of reprisals or loyalty to their carer. |
| The findings come after reports by both the consumer group Which? and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have criticised home care in the past 18 months. | The findings come after reports by both the consumer group Which? and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have criticised home care in the past 18 months. |
| Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, said: "There must be a zero-tolerance attitude to poor, neglectful care." | Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, said: "There must be a zero-tolerance attitude to poor, neglectful care." |
| The UK Homecare Association said it was pleasing the majority were meeting all the standards but said the sector was "not complacent" about the minority that were not. | The UK Homecare Association said it was pleasing the majority were meeting all the standards but said the sector was "not complacent" about the minority that were not. |
| A spokesman said some of the problems related to councils squeezing the amount of time they were willing to fund for visits. | A spokesman said some of the problems related to councils squeezing the amount of time they were willing to fund for visits. |
| Do you, or a member of your family, receive home care? What are your experiences? Send us your comments using the form below. |