Woman says she feels imprisoned after carer shortage forces her into care home
A woman with cerebral palsy says she feels imprisoned and forgotten after care staff shortages led to her losing her independence.
Anna Trotter, 35, was told she would be moved to a care home for two weeks as a temporary measure. Yet over four months later she is still there.
Anna had been living at home in Redcar with the help of domiciliary carers who visited her four times a day for half an hour each time.
The agency contracted by the NHS to provide the carers found that it was financially unviable, due to the lack of other service users in the area. So until an alternative care package could be found, Anna was moved into a nearby care home.
Anna said it is “awful because it sounds like I’m saying I’m in prison – the care home is really great – but I shouldn’t be in here. Mentally it’s really tough”.
She added: “My physical needs are met here, but my mental health is suffering. It makes me anxious, and I am having trouble sleeping as I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Anna believes her situation shows how fragile the system is, and that staffing is a serious problem.
“Because I require two carers, as opposed to one, there just isn’t the staff,” she said.
“However, I was only meant to be here for two weeks. I know how the system works so I pushed for an answer and I was reassured that I would be able to go home.
“At the time, there was no way for me to get this support unless I went into a care home. Whilst I completely understand that domiciliary care is struggling, that doesn’t mean someone should be told they will be in a care home for two weeks and then left for four months.”
Read more:
Archbishops call for ‘radical redesign’ of England’s ‘broken’ care system
Workforce the size of Newcastle needed to ease ‘gridlocked’ health and care system
A spokesperson for NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said: “We work to ensure that people across our region receive the care and support they need, and we understand that it can be very frustrating and worrying if difficulties arise. We are not able to comment on an individual patient’s case publicly but where concerns are raised, we will work hard to resolve the issues as quickly and positively as we can.”
A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council said: “Our sympathies are with this lady and we hope her situation may be resolved as soon as possible. Our role as a council regarding continuing healthcare is very limited and only involves transferring payments as instructed by an NHS body.
“Continuing healthcare is arranged and funded solely by the NHS, and as such we have no decision-making role in these situations.”
