A CARER has called conditions in Fife "disgraceful" and said staff were being "run ragged".

After working in the industry for more than 16 years, the employee, who did not want to be identified, said workers had resorted to systems which would only have been used in "desperate" situations previously.

They described situations where carers could be sent from Dunfermline to Kirkcaldy for a half-hour visit, and that patients were starting to become agitated with carers changing constantly.

"Getting taken off your own clients to do these shifts means no continuity with the service-users," they said.

"Clients could see up to more than 10 different carers in a week. This is disgraceful. In the last few years, I have came across lots of clients asking, ‘Who have I got today?’ – they don’t know who is walking through their door every visit.

"Rotas get changed last-minute, you could be on your way to someone and then it gets pulled off you and you end up getting run ragged.

"The vulnerable are refusing their personal care because of this as they don’t want just anybody coming to shower or bath them. Well I would not like that either."

Recently, a number of nurses have contacted the Press to raise their concerns about hospital conditions in Fife.

They cited a lack of staff as one of the key issues, which has now also been highlighted in the social care sector.

"They are short-staffed," the worker continued, "lots of staff are off with stress, COVID, or on holiday.

"We are lacking in staff because of the way we have to work. A lot of people are leaving and retiring early as they can't cope with the pressure."

Lynne Garvey, head of the Community Care Service, Fife Health & Social Care Partnership, said: "The demand for care-at-home packages is unprecedented and remains an extremely busy time for our carers who do an amazing job every day caring and supporting our most vulnerable people.

"It may not always be possible for visits to be carried out by usual carers and the timings of visits may vary and the number of visits may have changed – we apologise for this, and we appreciate the support and patience from those receiving the care-at-home services at this time and the staff delivering these services.

"Supporting our workforce is a priority and there will be significant recruitment into the care-at-home service. We also continue to work with partners and providers to test different models of care to optimise person-centred care to ensure we meet the needs of the people in Fife."