Care for me at home exhibition
Download (PDF 18.09 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Bexley carried out several interviews with people who received home care in Bexley, between May and September 2015, aged 55 to 102 years old. The work was done as part of a study undertaken by Healthwatch Bexley, University of Kent and Christ Church University, to understand home care provision in Bexley.
The report identifies a number of key issues: unreliable staffing particularly when care workers are late or inflexible to change the length or frequency of their visits; lack of social support and activities to reduce isolation and loneliness; and poor involvement in care planning to improve services. Lack of consistency of care worker, attitude of care worker, or language barriers were cited as reasons for not benefitting from a positive relationship with care workers.
Positive experiences were also referenced in the report highlighting the positive relationship are enabled by consistency and empathetic interactions with the carer workers. Recipients of care valued friendliness, empathy, individual care and humour. For many respondents, home care visits were the only human contact they received or frequently felt. When done well, the contact enhanced their quality of life.
No recommendations were made in the report.