Belfast Live understands that some families were given less than two hours’ notice that their care packages had been suspended
A number of pensioners living in a Co Antrim village have been left without domiciliary care over the festive period due to staff shortages, according to the Northern Trust.
Belfast Live understands that a number of pensioners in the Crumlin area had their care packages suspended in the run-up to the Christmas and New Year period. While the Trust have been working to secure alternative arrangements, four pensioners remain without alternative care provision.
It is also understood that a number of the families were given less than two hours’ notice that their relatives’ care packages would be suspended.
Belfast Live submitted a number of questions to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, including how many individual service users in the Crumlin and South Antrim area have been affected; what emergency measures or “bridge” support is the Trust providing to ensure these pensioners remain safe in their homes while these issues are resolved and asked for a response to claims that families were given only a few hours’ notice of the changes.
A Northern Trust spokesperson said: “We fully understand the impact that recent issues have caused and would like to sincerely apologise to those affected.
“Similar to Trusts across the region, we are currently facing significant pressures on home care services due to a combination of workforce availability and increasing demand. We have seen demand for home care services increase by more than 12% since 2022.
“Our Trust Homecare service in the Antrim area has recently been impacted by a spike in absence, which has unfortunately led to a temporary disruption to some service delivery.
“Please be assured that our staff are working tirelessly to ensure provision in the immediate term, while important work is also ongoing to help reform our services and build sustainability for the longer term.”
Belfast Live then asked the Trust to explicitly confirm or deny the reports that some families were given only two hours’ notice that their care would not be arriving, and if this timeframe was considered acceptable under the Trust’s emergency protocols.
We also asked them to confirm how many households in the Crumlin/Antrim area had their scheduled care calls missed or cancelled between December 1st and today (30 December), and when a “spike in absence” occurs, what protocol the Trust follow to ensure that a vulnerable person living alone is not left in a dangerous situation e.g., unable to eat, take medication, or get out of bed.
A Northern Trust spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, staff absence can arise at short notice, when this happens, we work at pace to explore all alternative options, including seeking additional cover from the independent sector. Despite these efforts, there have been a small number of instances when we have been unable to provide the full care package.
“When this is the case, we will inform service users and families as soon as possible, but given the nature of the absence, it is not always feasible to give as much notice as we would like. We would like to apologise sincerely to any service users who had less notice than we would have wished to give.
“The situation remains very fluid and is subject to change based on staffing. The current staffing deficit in Crumlin/Antrim resulted in the Trust having to stand down one Homecare rota in the area. Alternative provision was put in place for service users where possible. Regrettably, we have not been able to secure provision for four service users at this time.
“Their care is currently being managed by their families and the Trust is working with them to source alternative provision urgently. We are very grateful to the families for their co-operation at this time.
“The safety and wellbeing of those we care for is our top priority. First and foremost, we try to secure the same level of package from the independent sector, when this is not possible, we will explore other options, including the use of a Direct Payment. However, in some cases family support is required as a contingency measure. In cases where no immediate alternative is feasible, we will offer a contingency bed in a care home setting. This option, while not always ideal, is in place to ensure the wellbeing of individuals when other options are unavailable.”
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