AN 85-YEAR-old has branded a care company 'disgusting' after carers repeatedly failed to turn up at his home to help his wife.

Geoff Robbins, aged 85, claims carers for Bloomsbury Worcestershire failed to show up to nine scheduled home visits between December and January.

Mr Robbins, of Harrington Road, Worcester, said this meant he was forced to get his 83-year-old wife, Edna, who has dementia, out of bed.

Bloomsbury Worcestershire is also under fire for allegedly sending carers into homes without criminal background checks, however the company says it has only found one example of this occurring.

Mr Robbins said: "I thought it was disgusting service. We complained and my daughter reported them to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

"We would ring them up and they would come up with some excuse that one of the carers had gone off sick - or they couldn't give an explanation.

"They never phoned us to say they weren't attending. I had to care for my wife myself. I can manage but it's an effort at my age.

"The reason we are having carers is because it helps me, I'm getting to the age where I can't do it."

The father-of-four said he was charged for the visits, despite the carers failing to show up.

He claims the council has overcharged him by £139.05.

Bloomsbury carers visited his home three times a week, to make his wife's bed and help her to get up, wash and take her medication.

However, Mr Robbins said the carers sometimes failed to even make the bed.

He claims one of the employees would arrive at 10.02am and leave at 10.22am, despite him paying for 45 minutes of care.

The former bus driver added: "The whole time I had Bloomsbury I don't think they ever spent the full 45 minutes at my home."

He said the council recommended the company to him, after he ditched another care firm for poor service.

Mr Robbins added: "The company before were also not attending. They didn't leave early but they did miss visits. They were not as bad as Bloomsbury though."

Mrs Robbins, who currently has a fractured left wrist from a fall, was diagnosed with vascular dementia three years ago.

Mr Robbins said his wife's condition means he has to carry out most of the chores in the home, such as cooking, cleaning and washing, in addition to helping her to the toilet.

Bloomsbury carers first went into the couple's home in October and carried out their final visit in January.

However, the couple, who got married in 1956, have now hired a new care company, which they are happy with.

Nick Christodoulou, CEO of Bloomsbury Home Care, which runs Bloomsbury Worcestershire, said company records showed that there had been some missed visits.

He added that carers failed to visit the home on at least three Sundays, although he claimed records showed the client had cancelled the calls, potentially because the carer was running late.

The CEO added: "It's possible that our carers were running so late - it being a Sunday with perhaps fewer staff out.

"If we were running very late it's possible Mr Robbins cancelled the call as there was no point in us going over."

Mr Christodoulou said carers did not keep records when they left the pensioner's house, which meant the company could not tell how long they spent at the property.

The CEO offered his apologies to Mr Robbins.

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said: “Worcestershire County Council is working with the CQC and the provider to fully understand the current issues.

“We were aware of concerns related to ‘missed calls’ and have sought a commitment from Bloomsbury Home Care that this matter has now been resolved. There will be ongoing monitoring of the quality of service provided as this is a priority for the county council.

"Ensuring quality service provision for our residents, is paramount for adult social care. Any safeguarding concerns raised in relation to Worcestershire's adults social care providers are taken very seriously and formal investigations take place immediately these are raised, in partnership with the CQC. Any substantiated concerns are dealt with appropriately."