THE Western Trust is optimistic that better pay for social workers will help recruit and retain more staff for its domiciliary care services in the region.
Domiciliary care supports elderly people in their own homes, but hospital discharges are often delayed due to a lack of available care packages or insufficient carers to meet demand.
Speaking at last week’s Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Health Committee meeting, Valeria Devine, assistant director of community and older people, announced that domiciliary care workers employed by the Trust would now be placed on a higher pay band.
She expressed hope that the pay increase would enable the Trust to expand its in-house provision of care for older adults in the community.
“Our domiciliary care workers have been informed, and they all need to receive a level of payment that reflects the importance of the work they do,” Ms Devine said.
“What we need to do is make better use of the capacity we have by increasing contact with service users. We are also working to reorganise our rotas to maximise capacity.
“Staff recruitment is a major challenge, particularly in rural areas where many providers are small and independent. We are collaborating closely with them to ensure their services can continue.”
Cllr Debbie Coyle voiced concerns about the lack of holistic care for individuals, attributing it to a rise in hospital admissions.
Other concerns included patients being put to bed as early as 6pm and not receiving morning assistance until 9am the next day.
While the Trust pledged to address these issues, Ms Devine explained that the short time allocated per person reflects the need to optimise staff effectiveness daily.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)