Home care staff ‘saving lives as part of the job’, new survey reveals
Home care workers across the UK are routinely saving the lives of the people they support, according to new national survey data that challenges public perceptions of the sector.
A study of 108 home care providers by CareLineLive found that three quarters (75 per cent) have staff who have performed a life saving intervention, with nearly two thirds (65 per cent) having saved clients’ lives more than once.
Only 17 respondents said they had never dealt with a ‘life or death’ incident.
Josh Hough, founder and CEO of Slinfold-based home care software company CareLineLive, said the findings shine a light on a workforce that is vastly underestimated.
“People still imagine home care as making cups of tea and helping with shopping,” he said. “But the reality is far more serious.
“Carers are catching deteriorations, preventing medication errors, calling emergency services at the right moment and making split second decisions that keep people alive.
“This survey shows what many in the industry already know, that home care staff are acting as the hidden first responders of our health system.”
Respondents cited cases ranging from falls and strokes to cardiac issues and missed medication.
Many incidents were picked up during routine welfare checks or by staff noticing subtle changes in a client’s condition.
Hough, who founded CareLineLive after experiencing the gaps and inefficiencies of care first hand due to a rare muscle condition, said the data highlights an urgent need for better information sharing and digital tools.
“Saving lives shouldn’t depend on luck, instinct or a carer’s memory of the last visit,” he said. “When carers don’t have full medical information, when notes aren’t up to date or when changes in condition aren’t flagged fast enough, the risks multiply. Technology can’t remove pressure from the system, but it can make sure carers have the right information at the right time.”
The survey also revealed variation in how well incidents and near misses are reported. Ten providers said they were unsure whether their teams had ever saved a life, suggesting inconsistent internal reporting or a lack of visibility over serious events.
Hough believes the sector deserves far more recognition. “These workers are preventing hospital admissions, supporting the NHS and protecting some of the most vulnerable people in society,” he said.
“It’s time the country understood the scale of what home care teams do every day. Sometimes quietly, sometimes heroically and often without the credit they deserve.”
About Josh Hough
Josh Hough is the founder and CEO of home care software company CareLineLive. The business has over 700 home care clients in seven countries, produces revenues of over £4m and has 60 staff with over 25,000 carers using CareLineLive each week.
Josh was born with the rare muscle weakening condition Minicore Myopathy and spent much of his early life in a wheelchair. He set up CareLineLive in 2014 after his family struggled to get information about his grandfather’s care.
CareLineLive is one of the few companies to meet the NHS requirements to be on the approved supplier list for Digital Social Care Records. It also integrates with GPConnect, enabling access to GP records.
