Domiciliary providers hourly rate and robust checks of care providers

The request was partially successful.

Dear Shropshire Council

1. What is the hourly rate and standard rate that you paid to independent domiciliary providers for the years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018?

2. How many providers do you commission domiciliary care from?

3. What does the council do about providers who instruct their care staff to clip calls because the care provider has back to back rotas with no travel time - which is clearly because they do no pay their care workers for travel between calls. As you are aware the government clearly states online that care worker's travel time is working time and must be paid at least NMW. Link to Government Minimum Wage page https://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-differen... .

4 Does the council expect domiciliary care workers to stay for the full length of the service users call time, such as the full 30 minutes/45 minutes/one hour or, and if not what is the maximum time the council allows care calls to be cut ?

5. How and what stringent, robust checks does the council carry out to check that domiciliary providers do not breach minimum wage and pay their care workers for their travel time between service user calls and do not cram calls with no travel time, meaning some care staff are often left with little or no choice but forced to cut service users care calls?

I now refer specifically to the provider J K Caring For You and draw to your attention the following statement by CQC in their latest inspection reported dated and published 18 January 2019: ''The provider had failed to ensure people received their prescribed medicines safely. One person told us care staff had not given them their medicine during a recent care call. They told us, "One missed lot wouldn't matter." This person went on to tell us the care staff on this day had told them their care call was 15 minutes despite them having a planned 30-minute care call''. The provider had not ensured there were sufficient staff to keep people safe. Twelve people told us they had experienced missed and late calls.

One person told us care staff were often late and sometimes up to one and a half hours late. They had been left wet, in bed, due to care staff being late. Twelve people told us they had experienced missed and late calls. One person told us, "I phoned the office to say I had been missed and the office staff did not know who I was. It's just one call a day I have, if they turn up." They went on to tell us, "I have been missed but I still have to pay."

Link to CQC report referred to for your guidance in this FOI https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-743147...

6. What has Shropshire Council done to address this failing company?
7. How is the council monitoring this failing provider?
8. What has the council done about call-clipping by JK Caring For You?
9. How many safe-guarding complaints have been raised with the council concerning JK Caring For You?

Yours faithfully

D A Claridge

FOI, Shropshire Council

Dear Ms Claridge

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 21/03/2019.  We are
currently processing your request in accordance with the relevant
legislation.

 

Your request is for information relating to domicilliary care providers.

 

(Please note this may be a summary of your request and full details, as
outlined in the request, will be sent to the team providing the response).

 

If you feel the information is inaccurate or requires amendment, please
notify us as soon as possible using the contact details provided below. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Governance Team

Shropshire Council

Shirehall

Abbey Foregate

SHREWSBURY

SY2 6ND

 

Tel:                  01743 252179 / 252774 / 252747

Email:             [Shropshire Council request email]

Web:               [1]www.shropshire.gov.uk/access-to-information

 

 

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References

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1. http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/access-to-i...

Ffion Watson, Shropshire Council

1 Attachment

Dear Debra

Thank you for your recent freedom of information enquiry. I duly attach a response sent on behalf of Andy Begley, Director of Adult Services & Housing

Regards

Ffion Watson
PA to Director of Adult Services & Housing
Shropshire Council
Shirehall
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY2 6ND

01743 281376
07458 119829
mailto:[email address]
http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/

_____________________________________________

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