The ticking time bomb of social care

[Maccy Blue]

I work in adult social care and believe me it needs a massive kick up the arse. I don't enjoy running my colleagues down but social workers can be the most ****ing lazy, useless pieces of shite. They are meant to care for people in need but do the absolute minimum and really don't care less about the clients they have been allocated, and are more botherted about bunking off and doing the least amount of work for the pay they get. I know that there are loads who aren't like this but they are few and far between. I have come across cases recently where someone is receiving over £8k of care a week but hasn't had a review in over 4 years. And trust me for some people £8k a week is peanuts. Don't get me wrong I am not saying some people don't need 10 times that a week but the system just lets people keep adding onto care but social workers don't review or pick up the spending and block it. To be honest it is too much work or they don't like the 'difficult conversation' with family or friends (who are often the care provider). Care work needs to be brought in house rather than offloading it to piss-poor providers who give the minimum provision for the biggest pay. It makes my blood boil when I point out cases I have found where the Council is getting ripped off and nothing gets done as that person needs the care and nobody but the people ripping off the taxpayer can provide it.

RJK - I like your idea of it being controlled by the NHS but it would need some serious safeguarding and control putting in place as at the moment what I have seen of the NHS so far has been utterly amaterurish at best when it comes to making the correct decision for value for money versus what is right for the client.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Nah, I just find your little love stories disturbing.

I’ve not given it any thought past that, its not the type of thing I like to give thought to.

What's disturbing about me giving organ the horn ?

He's only human

[Tuerto]

I work in adult social care and believe me it needs a massive kick up the arse. I don't enjoy running my colleagues down but social workers can be the most ****ing lazy, useless pieces of shite. They are meant to care for people in need but do the absolute minimum and really don't care less about the clients they have been allocated, and are more botherted about bunking off and doing the least amount of work for the pay they get. I know that there are loads who aren't like this but they are few and far between. I have come across cases recently where someone is receiving over £8k of care a week but hasn't had a review in over 4 years. And trust me for some people £8k a week is peanuts. Don't get me wrong I am not saying some people don't need 10 times that a week but the system just lets people keep adding onto care but social workers don't review or pick up the spending and block it. To be honest it is too much work or they don't like the 'difficult conversation' with family or friends (who are often the care provider). Care work needs to be brought in house rather than offloading it to piss-poor providers who give the minimum provision for the biggest pay. It makes my blood boil when I point out cases I have found where the Council is getting ripped off and nothing gets done as that person needs the care and nobody but the people ripping off the taxpayer can provide it.

RJK - I like your idea of it being controlled by the NHS but it would need some serious safeguarding and control putting in place as at the moment what I have seen of the NHS so far has been utterly amaterurish at best when it comes to making the correct decision for value for money versus what is right for the client.

It's shocking. I've been to loads of people whose care plan is 5 years out of date, this is serious shit, medication etc.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I work in adult social care and believe me it needs a massive kick up the arse. I don't enjoy running my colleagues down but social workers can be the most ****ing lazy, useless pieces of shite. They are meant to care for people in need but do the absolute minimum and really don't care less about the clients they have been allocated, and are more botherted about bunking off and doing the least amount of work for the pay they get. I know that there are loads who aren't like this but they are few and far between. I have come across cases recently where someone is receiving over £8k of care a week but hasn't had a review in over 4 years. And trust me for some people £8k a week is peanuts. Don't get me wrong I am not saying some people don't need 10 times that a week but the system just lets people keep adding onto care but social workers don't review or pick up the spending and block it. To be honest it is too much work or they don't like the 'difficult conversation' with family or friends (who are often the care provider). Care work needs to be brought in house rather than offloading it to piss-poor providers who give the minimum provision for the biggest pay. It makes my blood boil when I point out cases I have found where the Council is getting ripped off and nothing gets done as that person needs the care and nobody but the people ripping off the taxpayer can provide it.

RJK - I like your idea of it being controlled by the NHS but it would need some serious safeguarding and control putting in place as at the moment what I have seen of the NHS so far has been utterly amaterurish at best when it comes to making the correct decision for value for money versus what is right for the client.

There are loads that are not lazy ....but they are few and far between

Which is it mate

From my own experience we have had to plead for help and even then it's been the bare minimum from a private care agency who were allocated to us by the council under the £90 cap rule

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

It's shocking. I've been to loads of people whose care plan is 5 years out of date, this is serious shit, medication etc.

I asked for a needs assessment for my old dear today as shes getting worse and needs more care , I was told to contact her social worker in mid January

In many cases they simply don't have the resources and are swamped

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

It's not the alzheimers that's killing me , it's the lack of care

A statement made by a lady caring for her husband

Boy do I get where she is coming from

[Divine Wright]

How about encouraging people to look after their own health? If we expanded the NHS so that everyone had their own personal doctor and nurse the country would still be full of overweight smokers. When you look at the nurses and doctors who go on the box and tell us about the coming health timebomb they are usually overweight ill looking people themselves. If more people kept themselves fit and ate properly then we would have more resources available for the people who are ill through no fault of their own.

Poor health and crime is a symptom of poor social opportunities, resources and education. All of these things require state funding and planning.

The tories probably prefer to have a population of gambling, alcohol consuming, unambitious slobs as it is more economically lucrative. Especially when health and policing are privatised.

The higher classes will take care of themselves. They’ll have the best of everything and will become even richer.

Having an upwardly mobile, healthy working class population is costly and doesn’t provide the same short term financial benefits to the upper classes. So why bother?

[Former Labour leader]

It's very difficult not to highlight the political connections to this topic, so I won't skirt around it.

I am genuinely and sincerely concerned about the next five years and beyond with this Tory government.

My cousin who also happens to be my best mate had a prostate cancer scare recently and the crux of it was that there were so many delays in consultation etc that he was super close to the point that had it turned to actually be cancer, it would be very difficult to treat.

Another example is that a truly lovely old fella we as a family look out for recently became a widower and his health has rapidly deteriorated. He was found on the floor in his bungalow with a fairly deep cut above his eye where he bashed something on the way down. He was clearly concussed as he was talking utter shit, whereas he is usually an intelligent and eloquent chap. An ambulance would have taken three hours to arrive so he was taken to A&E by a family member. When he arrived, he had to sit up in the A&E waiting room for hours and hours again.

He was finally admitted as an in-patient and when I visited him, I couldn't help but notice that the staff were clearly stressed but hid it well by being very friendly and even humorous. Further more, a large proportion of them where non-white whereas every single patient was.

We've been led to believe that immigrants/refugees are a drain on our resources. I see no evidence of that.

The Tories will not be able to sustain everything they have promised and the NHS will collapse.

I feel so frustrated and angry about the election result that I'm struggling to have any form of friendly relationship with anyone who voted Tory. It was essentially an election of Good v Evil.

Worrying times ahead, chaps.

My head is still spinning after the election. Really dont know which way to turn. I feel sorry for the country for what lies ahead. Thatcher was a saint compared to the liar.

[David Vincent]

Poor health and crime is a symptom of poor social opportunities, resources and education. All of these things require state funding and planning.

If the doctors and nurses are unhealthy that doesn't suggest that poor health is a symptom of education or social opportunities. These are educated people who have chosen to be unhealthy.

[life on mars]

It has to be be fixed and we all need to add to its contribution, it become a cross party agreement , and not used as a political football, like the NHS

[Eric the Half a Bee]

If the doctors and nurses are unhealthy that doesn't suggest that poor health is a symptom of education or social opportunities. These are educated people who have chosen to be unhealthy.

What an ill-informed pile of clueless fckwittery that is. Take, say, a doctor that becomes an alcoholic. Has that doctor chosen to do so, even though they know it's very bad for the individual, and despite their education have made the choice?

Idiot.

[Maccy Blue]

There are loads that are not lazy ....but they are few and far between

Which is it mate

From my own experience we have had to plead for help and even then it's been the bare minimum from a private care agency who were allocated to us by the council under the £90 cap rule

It is what I said. Throughout the UK there are tens of thousands of social workers. In that number there are a lot that are good at their job and actually pull their weight. However there are a hell of a lot that don't. So the good ones become few and far between as they are hidden by the crap ones in number. But there are still a lot out there. It is luck of the draw which one you get sadly.

It will only be when someone dies that the sorry mess that is social care raises it's head again and people go away and supposedly learn from a half-hearted review. And then jack-shit is done again.

[headlight]

My mother in law died in a private care home aged 90.
She had dementia, was completely blind in one eye from birth & virtually blind in the other, she was deaf, had a a severe heart problem, blood pressure problem & had to have complete blood transfusions every 6 weeks due to an extremely low red blood cell count.
She was assessed by a psychiatrist who confirmed that she was not in control of her faculties therefore could not make decisions for herself.
She had not been able to walk more than a few steps for over 10 years, so had not left the house.
We tried to get her care & when she was finally assessed she was awarded 15 minutes in the morning & 15 minutes in the evening.
My wife had to move out of our home & move in with her mother to look after her.
After about a year my mother in law could not walk at all & was therefore bed ridden.
We asked for her to be assessed again & after several months she was re-assesed & we were told that she could walk & was putting it on.
Also despite a psychiatrist confirming that she was not in control of her faculties the assessor claimed the opposite & claimed she was bright & alert.
She then had to go in to hospital for treatment for breathing problems.
The hospital said she could only be released in to a care home that nurses 24/7 as she needed medical care that my wife was not qualified to provide.
The council social services refused our requests for help to provide her with a suitable nursing home place, re-assesed her in hospital & said she could have an extra 15 minutes care at home provided so 3 15 minute visits a day.
The hospital refused to allow her to leave their care back to her home because again they said she needed a home that had 24 hour medical supervision.
We found a private home with on site 24 hour trained nurses.
She lasted 3 months in the home before passing away the day after the council assessed her again as fit to go home & have 3 15 minute care visits a day.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

What an ill-informed pile of clueless fckwittery that is. Take, say, a doctor that becomes an alcoholic. Has that doctor chosen to do so, even though they know it's very bad for the individual, and despite their education have made the choice?

Idiot.

Presumably no-one held them down and pour alcohol down their throat every day, so, yes, that doctor or whoever has chosen out of his own free will.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

My mother in law died in a private care home aged 90.
She had dementia, was completely blind in one eye from birth & virtually blind in the other, she was deaf, had a a severe heart problem, blood pressure problem & had to have complete blood transfusions every 6 weeks due to an extremely low red blood cell count.
She was assessed by a psychiatrist who confirmed that she was not in control of her faculties therefore could not make decisions for herself.
She had not been able to walk more than a few steps for over 10 years, so had not left the house.
We tried to get her care & when she was finally assessed she was awarded 15 minutes in the morning & 15 minutes in the evening.
My wife had to move out of our home & move in with her mother to look after her.
After about a year my mother in law could not walk at all & was therefore bed ridden.
We asked for her to be assessed again & after several months she was re-assesed & we were told that she could walk & was putting it on.
Also despite a psychiatrist confirming that she was not in control of her faculties the assessor claimed the opposite & claimed she was bright & alert.
She then had to go in to hospital for treatment for breathing problems.
The hospital said she could only be released in to a care home that nurses 24/7 as she needed medical care that my wife was not qualified to provide.
The council social services refused our requests for help to provide her with a suitable nursing home place, re-assesed her in hospital & said she could have an extra 15 minutes care at home provided so 3 15 minute visits a day.
The hospital refused to allow her to leave their care back to her home because again they said she needed a home that had 24 hour medical supervision.
We found a private home with on site 24 hour trained nurses.
She lasted 3 months in the home before passing away the day after the council assessed her again as fit to go home & have 3 15 minute care visits a day.

Sorry if this sounds unfeeling - it's not meant to - but modern medicine has incredible benefits for many of us - myself included. It also keeps us going long after we would previously packed up..

[headlight]

I was just stating my personal experience of our care system.
It is crazy that despite a GP, Psychiatrist & hospital consultant all agreeing that someone needs professional medical care & can no way be in their own home, even with a family member living with them to look after them 24/7 that a council social services assessor knows better & can over rule them.

[Organ Morgan.]

Presumably no-one held them down and pour alcohol down their throat every day, so, yes, that doctor or whoever has chosen out of his own free will.

Quite. I'd have made a similar point had I rose earlier. Must say overweight doctors have been hard to spot during infrequent hospital visits down the years but lard arsed nurses were anything but. It's not a South Wales phenomenon according to this article: NURSES BIG ISSUE Six out of 10 nurses are overweight, a study found - https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/506846...ing-hospitals/

[David Vincent]

What an ill-informed pile of clueless fckwittery that is. Take, say, a doctor that becomes an alcoholic. Has that doctor chosen to do so, even though they know it's very bad for the individual, and despite their education have made the choice?

Idiot.

Eric, you have the sting of a full bee. Despite being an idiot I know a little about alcoholism. No one wakes up one morning and finds out they have alcoholism. As they slide into it they realise they are becoming alcoholics. They could choose not to drink for quite a time before they reach the stage where they need to drink every day but they choose not to stop. They often are dealing with other problems so they put their drinking problem on the back-burner. Even when they are full blown alcoholics they can choose to stop. It is not a disease like having measles where you can't choose not to have it.

The answer to your question is "yes the doctor has chosen to do so".

[David Vincent]

Quite. I'd have made a similar point had I rose earlier. Must say overweight doctors have been hard to spot during infrequent hospital visits down the years but lard arsed nurses were anything but. It's not a South Wales phenomenon according to this article: NURSES BIG ISSUE Six out of 10 nurses are overweight, a study found - https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/506846...ing-hospitals/

It's like a Carry On film where all the nurses are played by Hattie Jaques.

[dembethewarrior]

Eric, you have the sting of a full bee. Despite being an idiot I know a little about alcoholism. No one wakes up one morning and finds out they have alcoholism. As they slide into it they realise they are becoming alcoholics. They could choose not to drink for quite a time before they reach the stage where they need to drink every day but they choose not to stop. They often are dealing with other problems so they put their drinking problem on the back-burner. Even when they are full blown alcoholics they can choose to stop. It is not a disease like having measles where you can't choose not to have it.

The answer to your question is "yes the doctor has chosen to do so".

They have the power to say “I want to stop” but as for just simply choosing to stop? Not as basic as you make out.

[B. Oddie]

They have the power to say “I want to stop” but as for just simply choosing to stop? Not as basic as you make out.

There's a fly is enjoying itself on the top of a venus fly trap. He happens to look down and sees ten flies struggling to get back up. It looks further down and sees 10 more flies, but these flies are lifeless.

"Poor sods" he thinks. A little while later, he thinks to himself, "I'm enjoying myself here but I should really stop now. I have other things to do....but a few more minutes won't harm".

As he's about to set off, he looks up and notices flies that weren't there before. "Poor bugger" he hears one of them say.

He then has the stark realisation that he has unnoticeably slid down and he too is slowly being eaten by the plant, just as the "poor sods" were from earlier.

[dembethewarrior]

There's a fly is enjoying itself on the top of a venus fly trap. He happens to look down and sees ten flies struggling to get back up. It looks further down and sees 10 more flies, but these flies are lifeless.

"Poor sods" he thinks. A little while later, he thinks to himself, "I'm enjoying myself here but I should really stop now. I have other things to do....but a few more minutes won't harm".

As he's about to set off, he looks up and notices flies that weren't there before. "Poor bugger" he hears one of them say.

He then has the stark realisation that he has unnoticeably slid down and he too is slowly being eaten by the plant, just as the "poor sods" were from earlier.

Basically what happened to my auntie and uncle. It happened over a period of years.

[David Vincent]

They have the power to say “I want to stop” but as for just simply choosing to stop? Not as basic as you make out.

To give up any addiction you first have to decide to give up. You are not going to give up by accident. For example, if you are an alcoholic you are not going to stop drinking because you forget to go to the pub. You have to choose to stop. Before making that choice you have to tell yourself that you are a free person with free choice. If you see yourself as a passive victim of circumstances then you will not change. I've joked about overweight people but they are also addicted just like alcoholics and druggies. There is a good lecture about this in the following link. By the way, I think the guy giving the lecture is over 60. It shows you what a vegan diet and exercise can do for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWi6dXCT7I

[Croesy Blue]

Yeah why don't all addicts just decide to stop!?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Eric, you have the sting of a full bee. Despite being an idiot I know a little about alcoholism. No one wakes up one morning and finds out they have alcoholism. As they slide into it they realise they are becoming alcoholics. They could choose not to drink for quite a time before they reach the stage where they need to drink every day but they choose not to stop. They often are dealing with other problems so they put their drinking problem on the back-burner. Even when they are full blown alcoholics they can choose to stop. It is not a disease like having measles where you can't choose not to have it.

The answer to your question is "yes the doctor has chosen to do so".

There is a difference between someone who drinks too much , is a binge drinker or is an alcoholic


The latter is very much an illness and requires expert medical attention

Many alcoholic women have been sexually abused as children or beaten up by their partners , they didn't choose to self medicate , they had no other way out