A recent visit to see Michael, 80, who ran a steel fabrication company and loved mountain climbing and classical music, found him looking miserable with his head down. She recovered quickly with a hug, but stretched staff have little time for such emotional care, said Anne, who said the situation has driven her to “the edge of anger, bitterness and despair.” “Before the pandemic staff had time,” he said. “Now they’re doing their best, but it’s not good enough anymore. They don’t have time to talk to the residents, hug them, communicate with them. Care is fragmented. “A lot of agency staff is used [because rising Covid infections in the community means more permanent staff isolating]. The sense of community they used to have is almost gone.” Vida Hall, the care home where Michael has lived for more than six years, is far from the worst in the country. In fact, the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report classifies it as ‘outstanding’, as perhaps it should be for a facility costing £1,600 a week. In homes recently inspected by the CQC which it described as ‘inadequate’, residents have been left at risk of suffocation, unclean and locked in their rooms. But while Anne says staff look after her husband’s physical needs, even in such a well-funded environment, they have to move on after brief interactions. In the 28 days from mid-June to mid-July, he said he had left his room only four times. Michael, her partner of more than 50 years, with whom she climbed the Bavarian Alps and the Italian Dolomites, has lost the habit of walking and, she said, is now “afraid to walk”. “The staff can’t help him because they don’t have time,” she said. “They don’t have enough staff.” James Rycroft, chief executive of Vida Healthcare, said the company was “saddened to hear Anne’s comments and we are working very closely with her to make sure the care we provide Michael helps him stay happy and healthy”. He said the company had increased wages by 30%, had taken on 120 new staff since January – with more to join soon – and was supporting staff to give residents “the physical and emotional care they need”. “We also regularly review our staffing ratios for each resident so that we can go beyond minimum care requirements and successfully meet their unique needs,” she said. At another care home in West Yorkshire, a daughter, who asked not to be named, described how her 93-year-old mother’s teeth were not being cleaned because of staffing problems. Some are falling out and her false teeth are gone. The door from her room to the garden is locked, which exacerbates her claustrophobia and on several occasions she has lost the emergency buzzer she wore around her wrist or around her neck. “Since Covid, I feel there is a lack of care and a lack of attention to detail,” he said. “They may be battle-weary, burned out and exhausted. I can relate to that. But my mom has a history of falling and if she doesn’t have the call button… As a family, you want reassurance that wherever you put your loved one is safe.” Neil Russell, who runs three neurological care centers in Peterborough and Milton Keynes, is short of 30 staff – a problem that started with Brexit, when many EU workers left because they felt “unwelcome”. “The staffing issue started with Brexit and got worse with the pandemic,” he said. “It’s just worn people out, it’s left people exhausted.” A Covid outbreak in June led to 20 staff members being put into home isolation for a week. “There’s no wiggle room and it’s putting pressure on existing staff,” Russell said. “They end up working too many shifts.”
