A Carers Dilemma

[RATTER15]

Ok, so a few weeks ago I was sacked from my job as a carer, basically for Whistle Blowing on my manager, I knew it was coming, been there, done that, I had another job lined up that I slipped right into and I'm loving it.

The dilemma, within a few days of starting my new job, staff had told me that they had been warned that they need to be careful what they do when I am around as I will report them! news travels fast in the care industry, even my new manager said she was aware of my history as a whistle blower.

Along with the reputation as a whistle blower comes the reputation as a trouble maker! and all the homes in the area soon get wind of this!

So if I need to leave this job I have now, I think my chances of being employed locally would be almost zero. No home is without fault and anybody that is good at their job would be able to find fault, the problem is, rectifying these issues usually cost money and often staff leaving or being sacked or criticizing the manager directly.

So what is a carer to do, complain to rectify this issues and risk getting the sack or keep quiet and lose all prospects of working in the industry of care that he/she loves. and if that person is sacked, those issues remain being an issue and the carer then has lost his/her job and achieved nothing.

There is also the governing bodies and social services to complain to. however, whilst the complaint is handled confidentially, generally speaking the manager will know who has made that complaint as will the staff.

There is some protection in law for the whistle blower, however, your manager that wants you out will usually achieve this without too much of a problem, especially if you have been employed by the company for less than two years.

So far I have had one manager sacked, two deputy managers sacked and quite a few carers.

I hasten to add, I don't have any issues of great concern where I am now but it does make me aware if issues that needed action were to arise.

A Dilemma!!

[Bazile]

You may indeed have a Dilemma .

But if a client is being put at risk / being abused ....... ?

[Sqad]

\\\\\So far I have had one manager sacked, two deputy managers sacked and quite a few carers.\\\\

No dilemma at all.

With the above CV you will very soon be unemployable.

I do not know the exact details of all the "whistleblowing" but if you don't keep quiet then you certainly will be in dire straits.

For me...there would be no dilemma.

[Bazile]

sqad - are you saying that potential whistle blowers should bite their lips and keep quiet , whatever the situation ?

[RATTER15]

Bazile, "But if a client is being put at risk / being abused ....... ?"

Yes I would certainly report it or made sure it didnt happen again, to the best of my ability.

The problem is, there are amazingly very few people that will stand up and report these things for the reasons I stated in the OP. If you do this more than once or twice you are considered a trouble maker.

Reporting these issues usually means that person is suspended on full pay, often for 4-5 months, costing the home about £1000 a month, it takes days and days of investigation and paperwork and interviews, often the Police are involved, this will often give the home a bad name, especially if it gets into the papers. So managers very often don't want your complaints or will sweep them under the carpet. The carer looses his/her job, sometimes the only one that will actually stand up for residents, now who stands up for them?

[Sqad]

Bazile......one blowing of the whistle, one would accept as reasonable, but one would be suspicious of one person blowing the whistle on multiple occasions at differing site......that "might "invoke the description of "troublemaker"..........two differing concepts.

Off to my Club now.

[RATTER15]

Sqad, you may be able to live with yourself knowing that abuse goes on in front of you and do nothing about it, some of us actually "CARE" for those that can not care for themselves. I work with people with advanced dementia, I could not turn my back on the abuse that is so often reported in the papers.!!

Sqad, you are unreal sometimes, you come across as everything that is wrong in the care industry with stupid comments like that!!

[Old_Geezer]

Surely if the issues are small you can try to change them from inside ? And if they are major then one follows one's conscience and opts to do (train for) a different type of job in the future.

You paint a picture of an uncaring care industry. As if those involved are the very ones who ought not be. Issues should be addressed and legitimate reasons there to justify any inability to reach the standards strived for, when necessary.

[RATTER15]

Sqad, you clearly know nothing of the care industry! if I wanted to blow the whistle on everything that needed it I would be whistle blowing every few weeks!!

[anneasquith]

a major dilemma RATTER , was your new manager aware of your ' reputation' when you were offered your present position ?

[RATTER15]

OG "Surely if the issues are small you can try to change them from inside ? And if they are major then one follows one's conscience and opts to do (train for) a different type of job in the future."

The smaller issues I do sort from the inside, as for turning my back on the very people I care for and retrain for another career, that is not my style!

[ummmm]

Don't change your standards Ratter, or turn a blind eye.

I know it's easy to say from an outsiders point of view...but people rely on kind people like you.

[RATTER15]

anne, yes, to a degree, but we got on well at interview and I have all the required qualifications +plus a lot more. I think she took a chance, she is very approachable, so I think that any serious issues could be sorted promptly, many managers are not like this.

[whiskeryron]

The problem is the notion that nobody likes ''a tell tale twit'' BUT as RATTER says ''there is the dilemma''. In mho if there is not already a bill passed by parliament to protect those bringing to our notice the law breakers guilty of practices that MUST NOT be ignored then it is damn time there was.

[237SJ]

Could you not train to be a manager and then you would have more control over the standards?

[237SJ]

As W Ron says - I have always thought there should be a confidential reporting system in the care industry/NHS along the lines of this (which I have used and my comments were taken seriously and acted upon) https://www.chirp.co.uk/ Maybe you could direct your energies into campagning for such a system

[237SJ]

*campaign*

[whiskeryron]

237sj. The problem there as I see it is, to proceed one would probably need the backing of managers who are already on guard against so called ''trouble makers''

[237SJ]

I didn`t ron. It`s annonymous and although they needed to know who I was (they phoned me and wrote to me) my report did not identify who I was and I made sure it didn`t identify the people concerned. It`s not really a way to report individuals but to highlight issues within the industry that need addressing

[Bazile]

//The dilemma, within a few days of starting my new job, staff had told me that they had been warned that they need to be careful what they do when I am around as I will report them! news travels fast in the care industry, even my new manager said she was aware of my history as a whistle blower//

Hopefully your 'reputation ' will deter any wrongdoing , where you work

[RATTER15]

237sj, I'm not sure that being a manager is the answer, so often, managers hands are tied by their directors and finances etc. Also, I would never want an office job, I love what I do, working on the floor with these people, it is the best job I have ever, unfortunately the worst paid!

There is a confidential reporting system, however, by the time you have the need to report these things through such channels, you have tried methods involving other senior care staff or the management, so they would know where the complaint came from, also if it goes legal, you need to make Police statements, these are not confidential.