Audit of Residential Facilities, Final report - Division for Social Policy ...

some senior staff that were black. Staff was unhappy that the DSD did not see this andcomplained that the homes produce transformation reports for the DSD where it will reflect thatthere is many black staff in a home but what they don‟t see is that the majority of them are at thelowest levels.4.4 StaffingThe required nurse to patient ratio is unfeasible and becoming increasingly difficult to fulfil. Inaddition professional staff is also being absorbed by the private sector and homes cannot affordto replace these lost skills. Staff indicated that they are over-worked and underpaid. Manyhomes to not provide a forum for staff to debrief which means that these feelings are internalisedand present itself in burn-out, depression, lethargy, low work ethic and poor morale. The absenceof communication channels (such as a workers committee or something similar) probablycontributes to the type of cold war or stand-off that exists.On the other hand, there are homes that provide valuable models of care and support focusingon regular debriefing, team building, employee of the month programmes, wilderness trails; theseare inclusive of all staff. The attitude of staff in these homes is markedly different from homesthat do not provide some form of care and support for staff.Caregivers play a crucial role in many homes, and are often not trained but have the compassionto care for older persons. However, their role is often undermined, they are unappreciated, poorlypaid and not considered as an important component in the home as the professional staff. Onehome reported the following:“…The success of this home can in part be attributed to the acknowledgment of the centrality ofthe caregiver and their praxis that their human resources are the most important asset.Knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivation of the caregivers are crucial. A key component of theHome therefore is the focus on capacity building of all staff and, according to the staffdevelopment manager, self awareness, self esteem and the development of interpersonal skillsform an integral part of all aspects of training and development. In the words of the deputydirector, „We have a high standard of care and it comes down to the fact that if you look at thesecaregivers, their own lives are full of hardships and yet we expect them to deliver the care to agroup of vulnerable old people in a kind and compassionate way. Now if we don‟t actually62 | D S D A u d i t o f R e s i d e n t i a l F a c i l i t i e s