Article highlights the unreasonable and unsafe responsibility being placed on families
We’re pleased to have been able to work with our member Alex TLC to secure coverage in The Daily Mail on the important issue of personal protective equipment (PPE) sourcing for carers in the home.
NHS England’s guidance on Direct Payments for Healthcare places the responsibility for managing the risks for carers on Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), rather than the family budget holder. It is clear that, in being asked to source PPE without help, Cameron Harrison’s family have been left to deliver a CCG responsibility, creating potential risks for themselves and carers coming into their home.
Karen Harrison, Cameron’s mother, and Support Services Manager for Alex TLC, said, ‘until Covid-19 I and my husband had 17 year’s experience and support in providing our carers with an appropriate working environment. Now I just don’t know what to do. I am not an expert in the necessary PPE, protocols and risk assessments for the new pandemic environment.’
‘I fear for Cameron, my family and my carers. I am becoming ever more exhausted and concerned that the casual approach taken in the past ten weeks might lead to my son’s care never being fully reinstated – that someone might say “you’ve with what you’ve got now, you must continue with that.” If the authorities appear to be unconcerned about something as fundamental as PPE what will be their attitude about everything else.’
Jayne Spink, Chief Executive of Genetic Alliance UK said: ‘Family members are not experts in PPE and to expect them to take on the responsibility for identifying and sourcing the right type of PPE is unreasonable and unsafe. Managing the risks for the cared for person, and for professionals providing personal care the home shouldn’t be placed on the shoulders of the family members.’
‘This laissez-faire approach is an abdication of responsibility. Government should be ensuring that those cared for at home – and those who provide that care – are properly protected throughout the COVID19 pandemic, rather than risking life and leaving the wellbeing of thousands of individuals to chance.’