Direct Health Care company

[Madgesmum 10]

We are currently drafting an email to local councillors and to Nick Clegg as he is our MP. We are also speaking to Radio Sheffield on Monday/Tuesday and are hoping to speak to The Star early next week.

[diane00058 10]

DH are rubbish, and it seems not changed for the better since I applied and got a job with them 12 years ago, I had to pay for my own police check and 4 passport type photo's, the work was advertised for my local area and as I only had use of the car some days I thought it would be ok, my first job was miles away and I had to beg for the car to get there on time as it was over an hour on the bus, I arrived and was expected to change a catheta and clean the person in bed as well as lots of other care which I wasn't told about, I was only given the address and arrival time and 1 hour to do the job, just as I was getting my head round this another carer from DH came in and said it was his call, so we were double booked! He was so rude to me and also upset the client I left, I contacted DH and they said I would get my travel allowance and pay for 1/2 an hour. I waited a week for another job but it was so for away I had to turn it down, I never got my money and was out of pocket by £35 They run ads continually and this must be because they are no good, I do feel sorry for those who have to have this company care for them. :help:

Edited January 20, 2012 by diane00058
miss spelling

[kirstyp86 10]

I worked for these about 6 years ago and they are an awful company! I loved the job and my clients were absolutely lovely! I got messed about a hell of a lot though as did the clients, and it made me so mad. I only lasted with them for a month!

On one of my calls, I was told to go to a house on Arbourthorne and when I got there, it had one of those key lock things outside and they hadn't told me the code. I had to ring DH up and after 20minutes they finally found the code for me. I opened the house to be met by a miserable old(ish) lady who didn't even want carers and a very large barking dog. The dog was trying to attack me, so I ran out the house!! Then I ended up being late for my next appointment because they messed me around so much. About 95% of my clients complained about the care they were receiving, which wasn't the carers fault - but the companies disorganisation! I am really suprised they are still going to be honest!

[Plain Talker 11]

They may have improved since i had a brief stay with the company. The problem then was the bad staff in the office. The carers i worked with were fine. I'm surprised they put up with all the grief . Keep complaining if you are unhappy and make sure if you need to write in to send a copy to social services. That will keep them on their toes.

 

Improved? Dear me, that's a laugh! You're hoping, aren't you? The words "Booze up" and "brewery" come to mind.

 

When I complained (regularly) to my social worker about the amount of missed calls/ late calls/ incomplete calls etc, she said, weakly, "Well, yes, I know how bad they are. I used to work for them!"

 

I said "You what? You mean to tell me that, KNOWING how bad they are, you still decided they would be a fit company to deliver my care?!!??!!"

[Plain Talker 11]

The majority of carers are decent people. The company treat them badly so most leave. If the working conditions were better they would stay. Something does need to be done regarding working conditions as the only people they will get working for them will not be suitable for the job.

 

Some of the carers are lovely, and really dedicated. Sadly, some are total numpties, who don't know their a.. erm, I mean backside from their elbow.

 

I got a lovely rapport going with a couple of lady carers, but they got moved off my call, and I was left with the wallies.

 

A couple of new carers have been set on to my call, who seem really lovely. I eagerly wait to see if they get to stay on my call, or whether they get moved to a different call, or get so fed up that they leave for another company!

 

One young lady, not that long back, had been given my call, which has to be at a specific time. she arrived to do my call, and got a nasty, and irate call from the office, absolutely rocketing the poor lass, as the plonkers had double booked her to be at another call, (a double-hander) at the same time as she was at mine. The other carer was at the double-call, and had phoned the office to see why she wasn't at that call. The office had the lass in tears.

 

They didn't seem to understand the concept of "being unable to split oneself in two, and be in both places at once"!

[Plain Talker 11]

My issues are not with the individual carers, my issues are with the management of these companies, the people who sit in the office and have no real concept of what is happening in people's homes. We have had bad experiences in the past with another company,similar to the ones people have mentioned above and do not wish to have to go through it all again. We are very happy with the company we currently use and do not understand why we HAVE to change.

 

I desperately WANT to change, Madgesmum. I want a decent and reliable care company, if there is such a thing. With staff who understand my little foibles, such as .. oooh, not being impressed when pots that are supposed to have been washed still have food debris all over them, and that I don't actually like drinking my tea out of mugs which have still got the tea stains from yesterday in them....

 

I dream of having staff that understand that, when I ask them to hang my washing on the drying-rack, that I don't want the stuff just, literally hung over the rack, crumpled, without being spread out, but that I want it hanging, neatly, so that the garment dries evenly.

 

I'd like an office that can see that a staff member has a phobia of dogs, and has the capacity to think "Oh, it says in the details that PT has a dog. I'd best not send this staff member to do the call." or "The Morning call involves showering and dressing PT. Oh, I can't send a male staff member to do the call, that'd not be appropriate!"

 

I don't really think it needs a rocket scientist to work that one out.

[Briony91 10]

This all sounds like a company I used to work for.. Care UK, what an absolute nightmare! I think these private companies need to stop counting the cash there making and remember that they are a CARE company..the clue is in the name!

[whitewitch 10]

I used to work for Direct Health in about 1997, then it was a good company. I was on a two days a week sort of contract (where they had to offer me at least two days work), but I used to be pulled out with it and having to turn them down constantly. They were only a small company then, one office in Dronfield, since it has expanded Ive heard some really bad stories about how they treat staff. Unfortunately companies delivering care appear to be money orientated these days, they don't appear to care about the clients or staff as long as they are coining it in. My saying has always been, you take care of your staff, they take care of you.

[mediumfast 10]

An article in Private Eye would shake a few trees!

[GrapeApe 10]

I desperately WANT to change, Madgesmum. I want a decent and reliable care company, if there is such a thing. With staff who understand my little foibles, such as .. oooh, not being impressed when pots that are supposed to have been washed still have food debris all over them, and that I don't actually like drinking my tea out of mugs which have still got the tea stains from yesterday in them....

 

I dream of having staff that understand that, when I ask them to hang my washing on the drying-rack, that I don't want the stuff just, literally hung over the rack, crumpled, without being spread out, but that I want it hanging, neatly, so that the garment dries evenly.

 

I'd like an office that can see that a staff member has a phobia of dogs, and has the capacity to think "Oh, it says in the details that PT has a dog. I'd best not send this staff member to do the call." or "The Morning call involves showering and dressing PT. Oh, I can't send a male staff member to do the call, that'd not be appropriate!"

 

I don't really think it needs a rocket scientist to work that one out.

 

You could take a Direct Payment and run your support services yourself

[GrapeApe 10]

You can complain to the Council or better still why not email Jonathan Vellacott who is the CEO of DH.

 

 

Clicky

[ricgem2002 11]

I desperately WANT to change, Madgesmum. I want a decent and reliable care company, if there is such a thing. With staff who understand my little foibles, such as .. oooh, not being impressed when pots that are supposed to have been washed still have food debris all over them, and that I don't actually like drinking my tea out of mugs which have still got the tea stains from yesterday in them....

 

I dream of having staff that understand that, when I ask them to hang my washing on the drying-rack, that I don't want the stuff just, literally hung over the rack, crumpled, without being spread out, but that I want it hanging, neatly, so that the garment dries evenly.

 

I'd like an office that can see that a staff member has a phobia of dogs, and has the capacity to think "Oh, it says in the details that PT has a dog. I'd best not send this staff member to do the call." or "The Morning call involves showering and dressing PT. Oh, I can't send a male staff member to do the call, that'd not be appropriate!"

 

I don't really think it needs a rocket scientist to work that one out.

have you done anything regarding your treatment ie reporting this to the council etc ?