You may be aware that a Prime Time Investigates programme was aired on RTE last night which centred on disgraceful practices by some providers in the home care sector. This programme was very distressing to watch and affected us all by highlighting very poor care and management practices.
Firstly, it important to note that Comfort Keepers was not featured in the programme in any way. The purpose of this email is to help alleviate any concerns you may have resulting from the programme.
Comfort Keepers has always sought to be a leader in terms of the quality of care we provide. Comfort Keepers was the first and only home care provider to be awarded the Q Mark for the quality of our systems and processes. In particular I would like to highlight the following points;
- Carers employed by Comfort Keepers: All our carers are employed by Comfort Keepers directly and are not "agency" staff
- Recruitment: All our carers are background and Garda checked in addition to normal employment and character references
- Training: All carers are trained in-house by Comfort Keepers training, a FETAC registered provider, before they deliver any care with additional training provided in specialist areas as required
- Care Planning: All our clients have their care needs assessed initially and a detailed care plan and risk assessment is carried out
- Monitoring: We carry out regular reviews of our clients and carers in addition to having a log in system to make sure they show up to their clients at the correct times
- Home Care Association and Q Mark Audits: We are a founding member of the Home Care Association (HCA) and are externally audited 4 times per year to check compliance with their standards
- Client Care Managers: Our Client Care Managers come from either a nursing or social care background and this leads to a better understanding of clients needs
We agree with the conclusions of last nights show that Ireland needs statutory home care standards that are independently audited by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and we have been campaigning on this issue for many years.
I trust the above information helps to alleviate any concerns you may have arising out of last nights show. It is important that we learn from the very poor practice identified in the show and ensure that we raise the standard of care for the most vulnerable in society. ♦
