A “major shortage” of evening and night time home helps in the Derrygonnelly area is the result of time restrictions and a lack of travel expenses, home helps believe.

Independent Councillor for Erne West, Bernice Swift outlined local concerns at this month’s Council meeting.

She stated: “The Western Trust does not operate a rota system after 2pm. They only deliver a two-tier system instead of a necessary three-tier system. Agencies are expected to fill in the gaps but they are struggling with capacity. Currently there are cases whereby the most rurally isolated elderly are without Home Help as nobody wants to travel long distances on the worst roads in Fermanagh to be paid a pittance.” She believes: “This inadequate system must change and needs investment to do so.” The Western Trust points out that it has already overspent on last year’s domiciliary care budget by £2.6 million, which it says “demonstrates the challenge the Trust faces in meeting the demand for domiciliary care services.” Home helps believe that less discrepancy between the pay and working conditions of Trust and agency home helps would alleviate the shortage of carers.

The Trust states that it “does not have control over the terms and conditions of agency staff.” However, a spokesman from Independent Health Care Providers states: “A PWC survey in 2012 showed the cost of the Trust’s in-house service as £18-£20 per hour, whereas the Trust only gives the independent sector £10 per hour for providing the same service.” He added that 70 per cent of home help service in Northern Ireland is now provided by the independent sector and that it is up to MLAs to ensure adequate funding for the sector.

“Agency jobs have been advertised but not enough people want the jobs because of the lack of travel expenses,” says Nancy Thompson, an agency home help from Derrygonnelly. “I love my job; I enjoy what I do but I have lots of clients and not enough time to do everything that needs to be done,” she explains.

In Derrygonnelly and the surrounding area, Trust home helps cover from 7am-2pm. Agency home helps cover the afternoon, evening and night-time slots. Trust home helps are paid £8.91 per hour and are not bound to a particular time in the client’s home. Agency home helps are paid £7 per hour but have 30 minute slots (i.e. £3.50 per slot).

The Impartial Reporter spoke to four home helps this week; two Trust employees and two agency employees. They all emphasised that they “love” their job.

“There’s a major shortage of carers, which I believe stems from people not being paid properly,” says Patricia O’Dare, who has worked as a Western Trust home help since 1995. Patricia has between eight and 10 clients between 7am and 2pm.

“I’m happy with my pay which is £8.91 per hour and we get 64 pence a mile and overtime,” she continues. “But there’s so many agency girls that are not paid as much, they have no travel expenses, overtime and they have to do a lot of night cover. Everyone should come under the one umbrella,” she states.

According to Patricia, the time constraints placed on home helps mean “there’s not enough emphasis put on care of the elderly.” She points out: “You can’t wash, dress and feed an elderly person at the same speed that we rush around getting ready in the morning. The mobility of the elderly needs to be factored in.” Another agency worker who did not wish to be named said: “Trust home helps get a lot more than us and we do the same job.” She continues: “There’s an expectation that you go wherever you are sent, despite the distance. The lack of travel expenses is the reason we can’t get staff.” A home help for the past 17 years, she has noticed: “It’s getting worse because the price of fuel is going up but our wages are not.” She concludes: “I love my job but I feel sorry for the old people. I think it will get to the stage where there won’t be care in the community because we don’t have enough carers.” Agencies in the Fermanagh area receive their income from the Western Trust.

Asked to respond to the problems highlighted by local home helps, a Trust spokeswoman said: “The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) homecare services are provided across Fermanagh.  The rota in Derrygonnelly operates from 7am – 2pm.  At present there are no unfilled staff vacancies in Fermanagh.” The spokeswoman continued: “Demand for domiciliary care is growing across the entire Western Trust area for a number of reasons: the increasing population of older people who have care needs is a current challenge and will increase in the future; more clients are choosing to remain in their own home; the complexity of client need is increasing. Last year the Trust’s domiciliary care budget was overspent by £2.6million, demonstrating the challenge the Trust faces in meeting the demand for domiciliary care services.” She concluded: “Domiciliary care provision remains a key priority for the Western Trust and we are working closely with the Health and Social Care Board, which commissions our services, to highlight the needs of our population and to seek additional funding to meet that need.

“Meanwhile the Trust is in the process of reforming its homecare provision which will include the Fermanagh area, with a view to enhancing accessibility of services.”