Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Carers Centre users in Croydon allege they were excluded from a key Care Quality Commission inspection, raising concerns over transparency and representation.
When inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visit Fisher’s Folly this week to examine the borough’s senior social care services, an internal council memo cautions employees to behave appropriately.
As members of the Care Quality Commission came to the council offices in Fisher’s Folly this morning to begin a three-day inspection of Croydon‘s adult social care services, including assistance for the borough’s caregivers, office space was cleared and meeting rooms were reserved.
Less than a month has passed since the council started working with new contractors, Carers First, and put the Croydon Carers’ Centre on George Street in danger of closing, despite the desires of numerous dedicated carers who rely on its services and support.
“It’s the first time adult social care and health services in the UK have been inspected for a number of years,” according to an internal email sent to staff by Annette McPartland, Croydon’s corporate director for adult social care and health, which Inside Croydon has obtained. Thus, the CQC inspectors may be a little taken aback.
The seven inspectors who are coming to Croydon will be
“listening to people who use services and unpaid carers about their experiences,”
McPartland said.
However, unpaid carers who have reached out to Inside Croydon to voice their concerns about service cuts and the possibility of the Carers’ Centre closing have claimed that Carers First has been selectively selecting interview subjects for the CQC inspectors in an attempt to keep unfavourable remarks about their methodology out of the inspection report.
In her memo to staff last week, McPartland said:
“If you meet any of our CQC colleagues, please make them welcome.”
Which is nice.
“This is our chance to showcase the great work all our colleagues do for our residents here in adult social care.”
McPartland had briefed staff that CQC are basing themselves on the first floor at Fisher’s Folly and in the café on the eighth floor, as well as in various meeting rooms:
“Please be mindful of the inspectors’ presence around the building and remember that we all represent the council as one team.”
One member of council staff described the memo as “beyond patronising”. They said:
“She’s certainly picked up the unmistakable tone of Kerswell,”
Referring to McPartland’s boss, council chief executive Katherine Kerswell.
The majority of the work on the re-tendering for the caregivers’ support services will have been done by McPartland, who gave the contract to caregivers First without including any funding for the Croydon Carers’ Centre’s ongoing lease and staffing.
Additionally, the council pledged that the change in supplier would not result in any employment losses.
Mayor Jason Perry ordered a swift U-turn after facing intense criticism for closing the Carers’ Centre. Carers First, who took over on April 1, is keeping the George Street centre open as long as the lease has a little over a year left on it.
However, Perry broke one of his promises about the upkeep of the service earlier this month when two of the center’s longest-serving employees—a manager and an assistant manager—were laid off.
No carers who use the George Street centre have been contacted for the CQC’s evaluation, according to a council insider who spoke with Inside Croydon.
“In April, Toby Lee-Manning of Carers First asked for carers at the centre to volunteer for telephone conversations with the CQC. Those volunteering needed to have been registered with the previous provider and had ‘a positive experience of the carers’ service”.
Only 10 names were required and not all would be contacted. We are not aware of anyone who was put forward having been contacted.”
During her first visit to the George Street centre last week, Alison Taylor, the CEO of Carers First, a Kent-based organisation, informed the carers in the café that there would be no changes to the services offered because the redundancies had only taken place a few days prior. She also asked the carers what they wanted from the service.
Some in attendance called Taylor’s appearance “dismissive” and “insulting.” “She made no effort to write any notes” on what the caretakers were saying, according to one carer.
According to estimates, 20% of Croydon’s carers lack internet or email connectivity. However, as of last week, almost two months after Carers First took over, some carers had still to receive a letter from the contractors informing them of the switch and service availability.
Other carers report that because Carers First has not provided the centre with a printer to create the appropriate documents, they have been unable to complete the essential documentation.
With his Carers First position that also takes him to Essex, Haringey, Medway, Merton, Southend, and Waltham Forest, Lee-Manning, who has assumed a large portion of the managing responsibility, is only in Croydon one day a week.
To protect employees in the frequently unstable town center, the Whitgift Foundation, the previous service provider, had funded a security service at the Carers’ Centre. Despite appeals from staff, Carers First has not replaced the center’s security. This is believed to be another attempt to reduce spending.
A volunteer and a caretaker had to escort two guys who entered off George Street in recent weeks; one may have been a rough sleeper, and the other may have been drunk or under the influence of other drugs.
Concerns have also been expressed over the council’s support of caregivers First, namely the possibility of awarding funds to deliver services that were previously provided under the caregivers service contract.
“Effectively, Croydon residents are now paying twice for Carers First’s services,”
According to the source.
“The budget they submitted in procurement just doesn’t cover the work that needs to be done, and the council is subsidising them to cover-up their costly error.
And meanwhile, two hard-working and dedicated staff, who have given years to the service, have paid with their jobs for the council’s bungling.”
Why do carers feel excluded from Croydon’s CQC inspection process?
In order to narrow the pool of feedback to possibly favorable reports and exclude those with concerns or poor experiences, carers claim that the council and the new contractor, Carers First, are hand-picking only a select few carers to talk with CQC inspectors.
Instead of permitting an impartial and representative evaluation, this behavior is perceived as an effort to sway the inspection’s conclusion.
The council has a history of low engagement, according to carers, who point to earlier consultations in which only a small portion of the borough’s 30,000 carers participated.
They believe that government plans and inspections are misrepresenting their opinions and that their voices are not truly sought or valued.
Before the inspection, municipal employees allegedly had to attend mandatory coaching sessions.