Dad's end-of-life care exposed a 'broken' system

A man who was an unpaid carer for his late father is calling for a "national framework" to provide better training and support for people in his position.

Richard Mourton, from Peterborough, looked after his father Alan Mourton, who had dementia, including offering end-of-life care at home until he passed away last week.

Mourton said the social care system was a "nightmare" to navigate. He added that he "had no clue" about how to care for his dying father, and called for the system to be "rebuilt".

It comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC "the NHS will collapse" if social care is not reformed and described it as "broken". But said he could not put a timeline on changes.

Adult social care provides state support to help people live more independently, including assistance at home.

Unlike the NHS, social care is not free at the point of use. In England and Northern Ireland, people with savings exceeding £23,250 are not entitled to help with care costs from their council.

Mourton told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that in his experience, the social care system was "not fit for purpose" and was at "breaking point".

"Dad unfortunately passed away on Wednesday [last week] - Because it was quite quick, we had a fast-track process through continuing healthcare," he said.

"Hospice at home and Sue Ryder have been superb. We had a hospital bed for him, but that is not the case for everybody.

"I do know of people who have been caring for their parents, and partners - who have been strung along. People don't know what they are doing. It becomes very confusing and muddled."

Mourton added the system was a "nightmare" to navigate.

"There is so much bureaucracy...you need to focus on caring, but if you are trying to explain the same story to four or five people it's draining," he said.

"There needs to be a central information hub, and the central government can be involved in it. Get training for unpaid carers [like me] - I had no clue about [providing] end-of-life care, with rolling him or making sure pressure sores don't develop."

Mourton, who is self-employed, said the experience had "turned life upside down", but said there was a "real opportunity to rebuild the system now".

"He [Burnham] hasn't put a timeline yet, but we need to start now," he added.

"We should have a unified system, where people talk to each other... and have training hubs for unpaid carers. The professionals are getting the training, but people like myself don't really know.

"Myself and my friends, who looked after our loved ones, we have probably saved the NHS millions of pounds by caring for our individuals.

"But it was my choice, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Some people aren't able to do that. But if you have the backing of the local authority and if the government enables you to do that, maybe they could even pay you a minimum wage to look after your loved ones - it [can] take the pressure off. Maybe that could be discussed."

Burnham is due to make a speech on adult social care on Wednesday.

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