An online survey of just over 1000 homecare workers finds them inadequately trained and with less time to allowed to provide care.
They are increasingly being asked to perform intimate procedures that would previously have only been carried out by registered nurses such as:
- changing catheter bags
- peg feeding
- stoma care
- administering medication
- looking after patients with dementia
They say they are being denied access to vital knowledge, new skills and career opportunities, the survey finds.
Inadequate training can leave care users in significant discomfort and vulnerable to infections. And, worse still, insufficient training on how to administer medication could lead to fatal overdoses, says UNISON.
The problem is made worse because the number of councils commissioning 15-minute visits is increasing.