My first job was in domiciliary care and it was a nightmare. I quit in the first month. It had nothing to do with the nature of the job or the clients and everything to do with management.
I was told in the beginning that there is no set training period and it depends entirely on experience and since I had none then I could expect more shadowing calls before I started doing calls on my own. This was bs. I had 2 days of shadowing (around 5-7 calls) before being sent off on my own the following Monday, feeling woefully unprepared. I had to do classroom-based training about how to administer medication, how to care for catheters ect but it was by no means extensive and again left me unprepared.
In my first week I cried after visiting an elderly lady with dementia because I had never done her night routine before, did it wrong and she got upset and cried which in turn upset me.
In my second week I was sent to a client's house alone when two carers were required. I called the office and asked if anyone else was coming and I was told no and that I should try my best. I knew this was unsafe and my client was sound of mind so with her permission I called one of her daughters to help me.
The manager hired her daughter to do a salaried job in the office – nepotism ftw.
But the absolute worst thing that happened that ultimately was the trigger point for me leaving was when they tried to force me to work when I had COVID (June 2022)
That morning I had visited two clients and had a couple of hours break at midday. I started to cough so I took a COVID test as my Dad, who I lived with, tested positive 3 days earlier. My test came back positive and I immediately called the office and told them and the response was “if you feel well enough, you can work.” I was mortified. I kept iterating that I work with vulnerable, elderly people and I cannot morally go to work knowing I am testing positive for COVID. Not only that but I was told that when I do go to see my clients that I'm not allowed to tell them I had COVID.
The phone call resolved nothing and I was told to go to my next call which was an elderly lady with pre-existing breathing problems. I drove to her house and put on full PPE outside, as instructed, but my supervisor walked out of the house and asked what I was doing there as she didn't know what happened. I explained the situation and she told me to go home, which I did.
In the following days, I was asked for proof of having COVID which is fair enough for legal or insurance purposes or whatever and I sent photos of the positive test and regestered them with the government but I was asked at one point to go into the office and take a test in the bathroom to show it to them????
This is what happens when you make social care a business.