janie48 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I Refer to this case of a client being cared for in her home. I know that Heath and Safety Rules have to be applied for the protection of staff and clients,but Sue Angold broke the rules and has been severely punished for doing so.Loss of job,loss of home and all because she had compassion for a 95 year old in distress. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/09/02/carer-sacked-after-helping-distressed-95-year-old-woman-115875-23389062/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMoran Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 That stinks. Some muppet wants to lose their bloody job over this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosxuk Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 More muppets blaming draconian rules on "Health & Safety". There are no H&S laws, or even guidance from HSE that says you're not allowed to pick up elderly people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Whatever happened to common sense?.....Stupid health and safety 'procedures' put in place purely and simply to avoid the 'blame and claim' culture make some peoples lives a complete misery. It's madness! What if the old dear had fallen out of bed? Do the cast iron procedures in this organisation say she couldn't help? Probably!...it makes my blood boil grrrrrrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 More muppets blaming draconian rules on "Health & Safety". There are no H&S laws, or even guidance from HSE that says you're not allowed to pick up elderly people. Totally agree. She may have broken guidelines or protocol or have a whole list of previous. (couldn't get the link to work on my phone or find it on the mirror website). It's difficult to lift a disabled person and most are trained to do it, often in pairs. She might have done it wrong and injured the old lady. If in doubt, ring for other colleagues or ring an ambulance. She might have been in distress but calming her down and getting help might have been better than man handling her up on her own. But no, let's not blame the woman, possibly poor procedures, poor management. Let's blame health and safety. So many things are blamed on health and safety that just aren't stopped because of health and safety. I heard on Jeremy vine the other day how a former spitfire pilot wasn't allowed to sit in a restored one because of elf and safety. Rubbish. Turns out it didn't have a seat or any intirior at all. But no, some idiot at museum makes up some h & s nonsense on the spot because he doesn't want to shoehorn a 90 yr old man into a fighter plane and suddenly it's gospel. If someone yells "you can't do it cause of elf and safety" ask to see a risk assessment. I'll bet my eyes that 50% won't have even done one, and out of those at least 10% won't know what one is. If one is produced, and its been done properly you might think "ahhh that's why I can't do it". But most of the time it's just used as a cop out. Rant over ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 More muppets blaming draconian rules on "Health & Safety". There are no H&S laws, or even guidance from HSE that says you're not allowed to pick up elderly people. Very true, the guidelines as far as I knew were that if you did pick someone up and you then injured them it could well be classed as assault; which is just common sense. As a result health care workers are strongly discouraged from lifting very frail and fragile people as it's very easy to injure them in the process, injuries than may range from grazes and bruises to dislocations and broken bones. This is of course ignoring the other issue of the potential physical damage to the healthcare worker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janie48 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Very true, the guidelines as far as I knew were that if you did pick someone up and you then injured them it could well be classed as assault; which is just common sense. As a result health care workers are strongly discouraged from lifting very frail and fragile people as it's very easy to injure them in the process, injuries than may range from grazes and bruises to dislocations and broken bones. This is of course ignoring the other issue of the potential physical damage to the healthcare worker. Yes guidelines have to be in place,and for the reasons you have stated. In this case though she didnt hurt the client (who praised her for her kindness)as did the family. She was a former nurse who decided to weigh up the situation and take a risk by assisting a distressed person who had requested assistance because they needed a commode,and for that she was instantly dismissed. Assuming that this woman was a good and efficient worker,and had had no previous warnings or disciplinary actions taken against her, i believe the action of her Employers was unjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricgem2002 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 i know a fireman who was nearly sacked because he was not wearing the right gloves when he rescued a bus driver from a burning bus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Yes guidelines have to be in place,and for the reasons you have stated. In this case though she didnt hurt the client (who praised her for her kindness)as did the family. She was a former nurse who decided to weigh up the situation and take a risk by assisting a distressed person who had requested assistance because they needed a commode,and for that she was instantly dismissed. Assuming that this woman was a good and efficient worker,and had had no previous warnings or disciplinary actions taken against her, i believe the action of her Employers was unjust. Care workers who injure patients by lifting them never start out meaning to do harm, the harm usually comes about when they ignore previous moving and handling assessments. This elderly lady would have been assessed and a plan of action put in place to decide which was the safest way to move her. Sue Angold, the woman who was suspended wouldn't have been aware of any of the lady's requirements, if it was safe to try to move her by herself so she really shouldn't have moved her. I think that sacking her is harsh though. It is reported that she has complained about the care agency's standards in the past and it wouldn't surprise me that they are using this error in judgement as an excuse to sack Sue Angold. Another thing that has come up which for me is just as serious incident as that it appears that the woman had been requesting help since early morning, but nothing had been done, but nothing had been done until Sue Angold arrived at late afternoon. It's also reported that sealed meals on wheels containers were laying around in the property. So it seems that a much more important issue arrises over the standards of the councils care rather than Sue Angold's error in judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janie48 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Heres More http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/295721/I-was-sacked-for-helping-an-old-lady-who-was-weeping-I-felt-suicidal-but-now-want-to-fighI-was-sacked-for-helping-an-old-lady-who-was-weeping-I-felt-suicidal-but-now-want-to-fighI-was-sacked-for-helping-an-old-lady-who-was-weeping-I-felt-suicidal-but-now-want-to-figh The more i read about this case the more incenced i feel. A carer sacked for caring! A punishment for showing compassion to a vulnerable distraught elderly person who had been lying in urine for hours waiting for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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