What Service Users and Carers Tell Us

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What Service Users and Carers Tell Us

• Tim Anfilogoff
• Policy Manager, Users and Carers

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Contents

1. Getting it right (and wrong) in Hertfordshire
2. National picture
3. How powerful is the consumer?
4. Strengthening the service-user voice
5. Details of Quality Monitoring Officer (QMO)
   findings
6. QMO role in customer care

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1.1 Getting It Right

• She knows my way and does everything
• how I like.
• The office rang last Friday to say the Saturday
• would be someone we didnt know and I was a
• bit worried. Then on the Saturday at about 11,
• they rang to ask how they had got on and I
• appreciate that.

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1.2 Getting It Right

• Your careworkers are wonderful, very pleasant
• and willing to help in any way. Sometimes they
  are the only people I see in a day.
• The staff have been extremely helpful to my
• mum and will always keep either my sister or
• myself informed should there be a problem.

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1.3 Getting It Right

• They do ask if I need anything else and will
• open cans and bottles for me, which I find
• very hard?
• The staff have learnt a few words of my
• mothers language which she really
• appreciates. She speaks no English and we
• feel this makes her feel valued

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1.4 Getting It Wrong

• Sometimes people turn up and look at the
• equipment and clearly dont know. I dont
• consider one day in the office using it once
• and them coming here adequate training.
• I have had a few problems with the attitude
• of some care workers. They come in and say they
• arent doing things Ive asked them to do.

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1.5 Getting It Wrong

• The last few weeks, its not so good.
• Sometimes its too early in the evening
• and X is in bed for 12/13 hours, its too long.
• Y has to have medication at a regular time,
• however call times vary greatly
• Too rushed.

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1.6 Getting It Wrong

• I wish I had a rough time as to when they
• are coming.
• It can be 9 12 evidenced in diary sheets.
• Never know what time.

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1.7 Getting It Wrong

• They come in and say they arent doing things
  Ive asked them to do...
• Cant fault the workers, but the office seem to
  be very disorganised.
• Ill give you an incident I kept ringing
  manager,
• to no avail, I got no answers. In the end I sent
  a
• letter and I never got a reply. In the end I did
• without the extra help.

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2. The National Picture

• At present councils - not people themselves
• play the role of 'customer' in the home
• care market. New ways must be found of
• giving people control over the services they
• receive.
• An Overview of home care services for older
  people in England
• CSCI 2006

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Performance Indicators (DH Survey Spring 2006)

• Extremely or very satisfied with homecare (D52)
• Hertfordshire 53
• England 59
• Care workers always do the things I want done
• Hertfordshire 67
• England 65

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3. How Powerful Is The Consumer?

• I am afraid we never think to complain. We
• count ourselves lucky to get help at all.
• Ive had no response.
• Ive given up trying.
• Cancelled evenings as timing of visits was so
• erratic.

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4. Strengthening the Service-User Voice

• Two Quality Monitoring Officers
• 561 visits 2005-06
• One Black and Minority Ethnic Involvement Worker
• 50 visits to homecare users
• Having Your Say process
• 2,000 forms

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5. Details of QMO Findings

• 561 visits (2005-06)
• 3 to concerns sample
• Less than 5 decline visit
• Overall high levels of satisfaction with care
  staff
• Lower satisfaction with office and customer care

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Three Year Overview

• Subjective Data - consistent
• 1 in 5 had reason to complain to agency
• 90 satisfaction that care workers are a)
  respectful b) competent
• 20-30 lower satisfaction with the office
• Subjective Data - variations
• 13 said they were told in advance if different
  careworker coming (38 last year)

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Three Year Overview

• Objective data - consistent
• 35-40 reported at least one missed visit in last
  three months (verified by QMOs)
• Objective data - variations
• Improved evidence of risk assessments
• Increase in percentage with medication policy not
  properly implemented (18 people)

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6. QMO Role In Customer Care

• 2/3 of visits lead to follow up actions
• Small percentage of these serious
• QMOs contacted years afterwards
• Role in ensuring staff under pressure dont miss
  users issues

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Examples

• It was a great relief to meet you and to
• know that you had been willing to come with
• finance worker and see us in order to sort
• out the invoicing problemsyou have been
• so kind and helpful.

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7. Enhancing The User Voice Further

• Involvement in Homecare Tendering 2006
• (setting questions and interviewing)
• Block Tendering process this year
• Quality issues
• Ensuring customer care addressed to their
  satisfaction

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And finally. toenails

• HCC Policy homecare agencies dont cut toenails
• NHS will cut toenails if necessary for health
  reasons
• What about the group in between?

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