Care service still failing elderly

5:40pm Friday 18th July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

ELDERLY and disabled people dependent on home care to retain their dignity and independence are still being failed by a Hertfordshire County Council contractor hired to make their lives better.

More than three months after the Conservative-run council switched the care of some 800 people in the Three Rivers and St Albans areas to new contractor Supporta Care, appointments are still being missed.

The company, one of seven to receive lucrative domiciliary care deals in January, had its contract suspended at the end of May after a torrent of complaints and was given just 28 days to improve.

However, nearly two months later, the contract remains suspended.

Supporta, which replaced previous contractors Goldsborough Home Care and Ainsworth Care after a mandatory retendering of existing contracts, has been unable to recruit sufficient staff to fulfil its commitments.

At a full council meeting last Tuesday night, the council’s Adult Care Services department admitted it was unable to say when, and if, the deal will be reinstated but insisted it had done all it could to check Supporta’s suitability before awarding the contract.

Angry opposition councillors, however, say the shambles could and should have been avoided and placed the blame firmly with the administration.

Liberal Democrat County Councillor Nick Hollinghurst said after the meeting: “These continuing problems call into question the rigour of the re-tendering process and the competence with which this was carried out.

“Adult Care Services have clearly failed in their assessment of the ability of this company to deliver against the contract it was awarded.”

The ensuing mess, he added, is further damaging the vulnerable people the department is supposed to serve.

He added: “It is having to divert resources from other activities. This is leading to delayed assessments, delayed transfers out of hospital, missed care visits and errors on billing, leaving customers being charged for services they have not received.”

Under the terms of the suspension, Supporta is barred from taking on any more individual cases due to be handed to it in a phased changeover.

These cases will remain the hands of the previous contractors until Supporta can prove it has enough staff for the job.

If it continues to fail in its contractual obligation the county council has promised to impose financial penalties.

Supporta argues that its ongoing problems are a result of current employment law, which demands that jobs are offered to employees of the previous contractors.

Far fewer of these employees, the company said, had taken up job offers than had been expected, resulting in a crippling staff shortage. It said it was in the process of hiring new staff and stressed things were improving.