The care crisis on the Isle of Wight has become even more evident after one of the three large care providers has advised some of their clients that they would no longer being able to provide care.
The resident who has been receiving care via Nobilis – one of the three care providers awarded ten-year home care contracts earlier this year by Isle of Wight council during a large shakeup in the way that care is commissioned – was given notice last week that from the end of this week, they would not be able to provide further care.
Nobilis: “We are giving notice on your care package”
A concerned friend of someone receiving domestic care (ie at home) on the Isle of Wight contacted News OnTheWight with a copy of the letter sent by Nobilis to, as the letter phrases it “Dear Service User”.
The Isle of Wight council tell News OnTheWight that Nobilis sent out the letter without informing them.
The letter reads:
As you are aware, Nobilis secured the tendership for South IOW earlier this year and we have had the pleasure of continuing to supply your care for you since then.
Sadly it is generally recognised on the Island that we are currently experiencing a crisis in social care, and we are now needing to focus our attention back into the South. The other agency’s [sic] who secured the tendership for the North IOW (Carewatch and 1st City) may well be doing the same.
It is with great sadness that we are giving notice on your care package. We understand the challenges that you face to secure care and would like to offer any support we can in sourcing your private care with another agency.
We hereby give notice with effect from today making your last care visit Sunday 29th August 2021.
We are sorry to follow this sad but necessary process and hope that you will reach out to us should you require any support up till [sic] the 29th August 2021.
See the original letter below.
The word inside County Hall
Unsurprisingly, the letter caused a lot of issues. Someone at County Hall told News OnTheWight, “The council is having to step in to try to assure people that things are going well.”
We were also told that Nobilis are now claiming the letter was “badly worded” and “the information was confusing.”
The person at CH also told us, one small ray of light is that if for some reason Nobilis did walk away from the contract, the local authority is duty and legally bound to step in, to support those people – they won’t be left high and dry.
Nobilis have now changed their tune
News OnTheWight hears today that Nobilis have now changed their tune. They say they’ll continue to provide support until the people they have been caring for are able to source for alternative care.
A letter will be arriving in the next few days clarifying that care will not be withdrawn.
Questions to the council
News OnTheWight has put a series of questions to the Isle of Wight council at midday today (as set out below) stressing that this is obviously a very pressing matter for the service users and their families, one that we’re sure IWC must have been prepared for and be in the process of dealing with, so would appreciate swift responses.
The questions were:
- What is IWC’s reaction to Nobilis writing to service users saying they cannot provide care any more?
a) How many people have Nobilis written to/ will stop service to?
b) What advice do IWC have for service users or their families to deal with care calls being removed?
c) Are they fully withdrawing from the Island? - By withdrawing service, are Nobilis in breach of contract?
a) What are the penalties for this?
Things are changing
This evening an IWC spokesperson told News OnTheWight,
“Nobilis are the care provider contracted with the Isle of Wight Council to provide care and support in the South locality. And due to the staffing shortages as explained above, it has chosen to concentrate their business in the South locality – where its contract with the council specifies the hours of care it is obliged to deliver.
“Accordingly, Nobilis have taken the difficult decision to give notice to nine people they are supporting who privately fund their care in the West and Central locality.
“We have, today, spoken to the management of Nobilis who have confirmed that they have spoken to each of the people they are proposing to withdraw support from and, where appropriate, their families, in order to reassure them that while an end date in the letter distributed specified that their care would be withdrawn from 29th August, it is actually their intention to continue to provide support until the people they have been caring for are able to source alternative care. Nobilis have also told the council today that they are therefore writing again to the people affected clarifying that care will not be withdrawn before alternative support is available.
“The council fully understands the level of concern the people affected and their families will have experienced when receiving this second letter from Nobilis. It is unfortunate that they did not share the letter with the council in advance of sending it.”
Queries to Nobilis
News OnTheWight also contacted Nobilis with a series of questions.
We got no answer from the Newport office, were told from HQ that they had no-one to deal with the media and any enquiries had to go through an email address. At time of publishing, despite emails to two different addresses and a call, no-one from the company had responded.
Love: We are facing an emergency
Just two weeks ago, Cllr Karl Love, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Housing Needs, said, ‘We are running out of care staff and facing a real emergency’.
Today he told News OnTheWight:
“I put the well-being and safety of our residents at the forefront and that IW Council will ensure that care is provided and is already providing support to ensure that services across our Island continue to operate to a high standard and this is down to the team in Adult Social Care who are taking assertive action supporting our residents and care providers.
“I’m very grateful to those who stepped in and stepped up to help in these very difficult times.”
IWC: Why there is a shortage of staff
Here below is the response from the Isle of Wight council,
“The Isle of Wight Council were made aware by Nobilis that they were writing to all of the people who use their service to apologise for some disruption to the care they had received during the last few weeks due to the difficulties in having enough staff available. This had resulted in changes to the times some people were supported as well as different workers attending someone – all of which can impact on the quality of care and support that people receive. The council welcomed Nobilis’ openness and transparency in making this apology to their clients.
“We have been working with Nobilis and other care providers, to ensure that all contractual obligations are met and appropriate care and support is delivered to vulnerable adults living across the Isle of Wight. Over the last year, we have seen an increase in the hours that the Island’s domiciliary care providers have successfully delivered to Island residents.
“However, in common with the rest of the country, care providers across the Island are currently facing significant shortages of staff. This is as the result of a complicated series of factors which combine to create the current, unprecedented, situation we are experiencing locally, regionally and nationally.
“We know that some carers always leave for the summer weeks and months in order to secure better paying jobs in the Island’s hospitality sector. Equally, carers take their own, much needed summer holidays during this period, especially those carers with school aged children. But the pressures being felt across all care providers, on the Island and elsewhere, currently feel very different. Our carers have been magnificent throughout the pandemic – but many are now exhausted. Equally, many carers feel unvalued for the work they do – and the constant reference to “low skilled work” – which could not be further from the truth.
“Another key difference this year from previous years is the rise in the level, and complexity, of demand for social care. People leaving hospital are doing so far more quickly under the Discharge to Assess arrangements introduced nationally last March, just before the first national lockdown. That means they need much higher levels of care and support when they leave hospital – very often requiring two carers at each visit. People waiting for their operation is another factor which has generated an increased demand for social care – as some people waiting become progressively ill and less independent while they do so. Equally, we are seeing the rise in demand for social care as a direct consequence of the pandemic – many people put off approaching adult social care for help during the pandemic because of risks of infection. Family carers in these situations are now exhausted and need urgent help and support to care for their loved one. Finally, the so called “r” rate on the island has seen a sharp spike in the last few weeks – and this means that rising numbers of carers are needing to isolate and/or recover from Covid.”
The council will be happy to hear from anyone impacted by this decision who feel that they need further support in accessing care and support to meet their needs either by email to: [email protected] or by telephone to (01983) 821000 ext 6580.
The letter
The letter from Nobilis to service users.
Image: Sharon Sinclair under CC BY 2.0
