FIFE Council's cuts to home care service are leaving vulnerable West Fifers sitting in their own mess for almost a day, without meals and medication, it's been claimed.

A concerned carer contacted the Press this week claiming care service users, many of whom are elderly, disabled or have dementia, are having to fend for themselves – and in one case, being left in sodden diapers for up to 19 hours.

Last September, the Press told you about home carers fearing they could be forced to give up their jobs after being notified of a consultation over changes to staff working hours.

The carer, who did not want to be named, claimed there are “not enough carers just now”, but “our hours are still being cut”.

She told the Press: “The service that Fife Council is giving the users is just diabolical.

“In one week, there were three days one client had nobody at night to help. She was soiled and had wet pads on for 19 hours, no evening meal, no medication, nobody to help her put her nightie on.

“They are going to bed with their clothes which are sometimes full of mess.

“There was a report that one client had 14 different carers in a month. There's no continuity. It's about building trust and relationships, but clients are getting strangers in their home.

“I don't even know if the families are aware of this. If my mum had dementia, or a heart condition, and wasn't being cleaned or getting her tablets, I would be very angry.

“I've been doing this for 17 years and used to enjoy it, but it's never been this bad and it will just go from bad to worse.”

She also questioned the council's policies, which she said affected carers and clients.

She claimed: “Fife Council have told us they don't need carers so much between 11am and 12pm, but there are all these folk who are not getting care.

“There are folk who don't have a carer from lunchtime until 9am the following day. That's a long time for somebody who's vulnerable to be left on their own.

“I would imagine the families would be able to sue Fife Council if something happened, but it's the carers who get it in the neck.

“I'm on a contract of 33½ hours a week but that's going down to 30, and those on 26¾ hours are going down to 26¼. I'm going to be down £1800 in a year.

“So many of the coordinators are down with stress, and they're going to be even more short-staffed because people are thinking of leaving.”

Cindy Graham, Fife Council's home care service manager, said 45 new carers had been recruited.

She commented: "Social work in Fife focuses on personal choice for people, joint working with our partners, prevention measures and early intervention.

“We work to provide the right services at the right time in a way that meets customers’ needs, improves the quality of their lives and protects the most vulnerable.

“We carefully assess the needs of each individual and design our homecare services to ensure those needs are met and help people lead safe and independent lives within their own homes.

"Following extensive consultation with staff and unions we have modernised staff work patterns in line with rapidly changing demands for services.

“We've just recruited 45 new carers and our aim is to retain and grow our home care service to ensure we have a workforce that continues to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.

“There should be no impact on service users who will continue to have their care and support needs met.

“However if there are concerns about the level of service delivered we would urge people to get in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can deal with the issue.”