Good Employment and Business Practice Archives

Challenges in Home Care for Mental Health in Hunstanton (4:33)

A resident describes an elderly neighbour with serious mental health problems who self-harms, is losing her sight and takes powerful, complex medication administered by carers four times daily.

The neighbour received a £4,500 bill for care she did not realise she was being charged for, prompting the resident to contact a support worker, whose response involved Citizens Advice rather than needed face-to-face help; the issue is ongoing and she pays a token monthly amount.

The resident highlights gaps in community mental health support, noting reliance on neighbours to check on vulnerable people despite living in ‘supported living’. One carer is praised for practical help, and crisis services have been involved. The discussion also mentions another resident with schizophrenia and hoarding creating fire risk, and reflects on the value—and limits—of citizen-led belonging and care.

Navigating Challenges: Technology, Mental Health, and Personal Journeys (5:13)

These adults describe how conflict and crowded public places trigger intense anxiety, making it feel as if people are swarming towards them, though they stress it is not others’ fault and they no longer apologise for their mental health.

They say technology has reduced communication, listening, eye contact and interaction, and has also created fear.

They live with good and bad days and also have PTSD from spending two years in a war zone in Sri Lanka during a previous, abusive marriage, eventually being extracted by the embassy.

They feel depressed about being pushed towards online services as banks close, fearing scams and struggling with computers, self-scan checkouts and cash machines, though they are proud of gradually learning to text and use an indoor ATM.

They feel people are too busy to teach them.

Mental Health Journeys: Conversations of Support and Healing (4:54)

This autistic man describes feeling unsupported by their brother and sister when ill and struggling with mental health, contrasting this with the comfort of friendships and supportive spaces.

They recall enjoying a trolley-pushing job because it felt safe, allowed them to help others, and kept them away from management.

They feel out of place in the modern world, miss the simpler past and their parents, and seek structure by attending groups such as music, records and colouring to get out of their flat and break up the day. They also visit a crisis centre café where staff and friends listen without giving advice, which helps them offload frustration and feels healing and cathartic.

They value the environment as a respectful, like-minded, safe space where they do not have to pretend.

Finding Smiles: A Gorleston Perspective (0:57)

The retired carer described moments that made them smile, particularly when they had formed a strong connection with a resident who had severe self-harming issues.

Over time, they had learned her routines and triggers and had developed procedures to manage incidents safely, such as placing cushions to soften falls, so they had been prepared when things went wrong.

They had felt proud of their work because they had built a good working relationship with her, despite others having been frightened due to her rare condition.

The speaker had emphasised that this level of care had required skill and practice over time, and had highlighted the importance of regular, consistent staffing so residents could be supported by familiar, experienced people.

Inside Gorleston: A retired carer’s perspective on Care Work and Mental Health (1:30)

A retired carer discusses how care work affects mental health, with one person saying they rely on drugs and beta blockers to cope with anxiety attacks.

It suggests many care workers likely use mental health medication because society does not treat them well, and the resulting pressure cannot simply be overcome with mindfulness.

The speakers argue that care is an intense job and would be improved by regular breaks, such as a 15-minute break every two hours away from the floor, though this is not feasible with current staffing levels.

They emphasise the need for time and space to process difficult incidents, reflect on practice, and receive support, warning that if carers are not cared for, good care will suffer.

Balancing Autonomy and Care in Gorleston (1:10)

This retired carer explains that small changes could significantly improve daily care, especially increasing staffing levels to reduce workloads, allow a more sensible pace, and give carers greater autonomy to use their professional judgement rather than working “robotically”.

They describe how having time and freedom would enable person-centred decisions, such as letting someone rest in bed or get up later if tired, providing a shower or bath when requested, or supporting someone’s right to go outside for a cigarette.

They note that these seemingly small decisions add up, and that staff are often forced to deny requests because others have higher needs at the time.

Transforming Care Home Culture – Insights from retired Carer (1:37)

A retired carer states that many care homes are too large, with 30–80 residents, creating noisy, impersonal and stressful environments for both residents and staff.

They criticise the current model as profit-driven, focused on maximising bed space and occupancy, rather than supporting wellbeing.

They suggest society should move towards small, person-centred homes with fewer people and a calm, quiet, therapeutic atmosphere.

They believe this would reduce stress and so-called challenging behaviour, improve residents’ health and enjoyment of life, and lead to more relaxed staff with less sick leave.

An enjoyable life is described as having autonomy, control and personal choice, with less institutional routine and more flexibility around daily activities such as meals.

Underpaid and Undervalued: The Reality of Socially Useful Jobs (1:40)

This retired carer from Gorleston reflects on what motivates people to continue in socially useful work, noting that such jobs are often among the lowest paid.

He argues that social reproductive labour is treated as private work done in the home, mostly by women, and is essential to how society and capitalism function.

Because it is seen as something done out of love rather than professional labour, it is not properly valued or paid accordingly.

From Funding to Care Quality: A Gorleston Interview (1:48)

This ex-care worker describes experiencing better care when services were well funded and directly insourced under the council, with higher standards, stronger oversight and union support for workers.

They recall extensive in-person training being funded, including a three-day swimming lifesaver course and a Makaton (sign-along) course, allowing staff to take as much training as needed to improve professionalism and care quality.

This training helped them support a service user who used Makaton and had severe self-harming issues, leading to fewer incidents as the relationship and understanding improved.

They attribute these improvements to increased public service funding under Tony Blair’s Labour government in the mid-2000s, and note a major negative change after 2010 when the coalition government began widespread cuts.

Voices from the Frontline: Experiences in Adult Social Care (6:38)

In a conversation at Gorleston library, Simon, a care worker with nearly 20 years’ experience across elderly dementia care, learning disabilities and home care, describes how outsourcing of council care homes and day centres since 2010 led to major cutbacks:

Lower wages for new staff
A two-tier workforce
Loss of pension access
Reduced holiday and sick pay
Higher turnover
Staffing shortages
Reliance on agencies and care visas.

He says care pay is often minimum wage with no night or weekend enhancements, and doubts government promises such as a fair pay agreement or a social care commission will deliver.

Simon argues for an insourced national care service with proper pay, training and career structure, transparent staffing ratios, suitable purpose-built buildings, reduced paperwork pressures and enough staff to give residents autonomy, choice and better quality of life.