A Penrhyndeudraeth woman whose father has been ‘stuck’ in hospital for six weeks waiting for a carer to become available believes the system needs “a massive shake up”.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her father was only supposed to be in hospital for a month.
However, due to a shortage of carers, she says he has been forced to remain in hospital for a further six weeks.
She told the Cambrian News about the situation and how it has been a stressful time for her family.
She said: “My father has been in hospital for 10 weeks because there is a lack of carers in the area.
“We’ve been told that there was a waiting list of 26 people for a carer and we are one of them.
“We feel that the situation is ridiculous. My father only needed to be in hospital for a month.
“He has now been waiting six weeks for a carer so he is able to get out of hospital and go home.
“If there are 26 people on the waiting list in this area [of Gwynedd], then how many are waiting across Gwynedd?
“The people waiting for carers are stuck in hospital and are unable to go home.
“We as a family are trying to put pressure on the authorities. I think people should be asking questions.”
The woman said that the family had spoken to Gwynedd about this before, but have been told that the issue lies with being unable to recruit carers.
She said: “We’ve spoken to the council before and they have said it’s a recruitment problem. If it’s a recruitment problem then surely we need to ask why is it a recruitment problem?
“All we need is someone to come in on a morning and evening to help my father in and out of bed.
“It would only be around 14 hours a week, but there’s no carers available even for this.
“The system needs a massive shake up.
“My father has now been in hospital waiting for a carer for longer than he needed to be in hospital for.”
Gwynedd Council’s head of adult services Aled Davies said: “The care sector across Gwynedd is currently under immense pressure and over the last few months, waiting lists for home care and care placements have been growing. This is particularly the case in Meirionnydd and Eifionydd and other rural areas where recruitment is proving to be extremely challenging due to the fact that the care sector is competing with other sectors that are also finding it difficult to attract staff.
“We recognise that this is having a detrimental effect on vulnerable individuals and their families, and we are doing everything possible to address the situation.
“Over the past nine months or so, we have carried out an extensive campaign to raise awareness of the full and part-time jobs that are available in the care sector in Gwynedd, and the fact that these posts have a real positive impact on the everyday lives of our most vulnerable people.”