'We are at crisis point': Guernsey woman warns the island is too reliant on volunteer carers

A Guernsey woman who visits her mum three times a day due to a shortage of carers has warned the island is reaching a "crisis point".

It's estimated that around 6,000 people in Guernsey act as 'informal carers', having to do the best they can due to a shortage of professionally trained workers.

Roz Harris-Johns describes the help her mum receives from family members and volunteers: "I work full time and every lunch hour, I come in and give mum a cup of tea. 

"We’ve arranged for Meals on Wheels to come in now – which helps, because I was coming in, doing her lunch, giving her her lunch and then going, whereas now I’ve got time to put her washing in the tumble dryer, wash her dishes, make her bed and do all the odd jobs around the house that she can no longer do.

"I’ll then have a quick chat, and fly out back to work and then after work, I’ll come back, do her tea and any of the little chores that haven’t been done over the lunchtime.

"One of my brothers comes every night to do her legs and wash her feet – we share the load."

The Guernsey Voluntary Service are putting on special events for the Coronation. Credit: ITV Channel

She went on to say the respite provided by Guernsey's third sector has been vital: "The charities have been a lifesaver, particularly over the last few years.

"Mum’s lost the sight in her eye and was getting quite down with things. She goes to Jubilee once a week, but they’re struggling with volunteers so they can’t put on the activities like they used to.

"On a Friday she goes to Age Concern, but again, they’re struggling for drivers and for helpers too.

"We are at that crisis point."

Roz's mum, Ruby Johns, said some days her family are the only people she sees: "I see my daughter twice a day, sometimes three times, but apart from that, nothing.

"It gets very boring.  You sit there, looking at the television and you get fed up with it.

"Sometimes it’s very lonely and you get sort of, how can I put it, morbid like - everything’s going wrong and that - but apart from that, everything’s fine."

Charities like the Guernsey Voluntary Service (GVS) provide Ruby and her family with a welcome break, but they are struggling to cope with increasing demand and a lack of regular help.

Mandy Le Bachelet from the service told ITV News: "We were down to one volunteer last week for one of our days and suddenly having to phone round to relief volunteers to come and help us.

"If we haven't got the volunteers, we can't provide the service." The GVS needs around 50 volunteers each day to help run its social clubs, Meals on Wheels, and other services.

The States' continued reliance on the voluntary sector is an increasing concern to some.

Mandy Le Bachelet from the Guernsey Voluntary Service Credit: ITV Channel

Peter Harwood from Carers Guernsey said: "You have to look to the long-term care insurance fund and the contribution rates that are going into that fund. It has to be equitable.

"You cannot rely on the next generation to bear the costs of some of us who are getting rather aged."

The fund isn't currently available to people receiving care at home, and is only for those move to nursing or residential care.

With a shortage of beds, a rise in informal carers and a voluntary sector that is increasingly stretched, there are concerns that the system may have already reached breaking point.

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