15/10/2012 Inside Out South East

Stealing from the old and vulnerable. The theft was a

significant contributory factor in his death.

Who is checking up on the people who are meant to be caring?

Radical ways to care for our elderly. We know where we're going

to live and where we're going to die.

And is it the end of the bungalow for Kent and Sussex? We are quite

proud to live in a bungalow. I am Natalie Graham, with untold

stories, closer to home, from all round Kent and Sussex.

Hello, I'm in Birchington, just outside Margate.

I am back here later, but to kick off the new series, we start with

the first of our special reports on care for the elderly.

Most of us want to stay in our own homes when we get older, but who

are the people we welcome over the threshold to help?

And are enough checks being made? Emma Thomas investigates.

This is the Alzheimers' Society in Tunbridge Wells.

It is a safe place to meet and with the elderly population getting

bigger, the number of people with dementia is set to increase.

But many of the people here will also need homecarers, to give their

loved ones a break and to allow people to carry on living at home.

It has become big business. Carers going into people's houses

and helping with things like shopping and housework, or even

washing and personal care. But we can reveal serious concerns

about the way the industry is regulated.

And that convicted criminals are being sent to look after vulnerable

people. The theft was a significant

contributory factor in his death, without a doubt.

He just could not come to terms with the fact that somebody had

done this to him. Many people are now paying for

carers to come into their homes themselves.

But are the companies who send them in making enough checks on workers?

Barbara Garvey was a homecarer for Consultus Nursing Ltd, based in

Tonbridge in Kent. It sends live-in carers to homes

all over the UK. But Garvey used her position to

steal from the sick and the dying. But could she have been stopped

sooner? Candida Shelley thinks so.

She says her parents were among Garvey's first victims.

My father had been bedridden for a couple of years.

My mother, unfortunately, in December 2009, was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer and was very poorly.

She had been given poor diagnosis, so we had to look at care packages

afresh. We were recommended Consultus from

a couple of friends and went with them.

The Shelleys lived in Staffordshire and were sent Barbara Garvey by the

agency. But after one of her visits, they

noticed a ring had gone missing. We immediately knew what had

happened, that Barbara Garvey had taken it, because everything had

been re-arranged. If the rings had been in the right

thing and just a ring was missing, we would say, "Now, Mum, when did

you last have that?" and "When did you last have it on?" and "Let us

have a little think about it". But because everything had been

moved in the drawer and all the rings were in the wrong boxes and

in the wrong combinations, we knew somebody had been through it.

Candida reported Barbara Garvey to the police and Consultus.

Police started to investigate her for the theft.

Consultus says it was aware police were investigating and suspended

Garvey for five months, before deciding to take her back on.

The reason we gave her more work, after the five-month period, was

because we, at that time, were reasonably sure and put our faith

in this woman. With hindsight, we can say we were

as fooled as everybody else, but the reason we gave her more work

was because we did not believe she had taken that ring.

No charges were brought against Garvey at that stage, but police

say they told Consultus they were concerned about her.

However, Consultus dispute this. John Smith is a former detective.

He eventually brought Barbara Garvey to justice.

He says the company also had other information that he believes should

have been acted on. The suspicions, with regards to

Barbara Garvey, came from the allegation from Staffordshire, the

family in Staffordshire. There was also an investigation

ongoing, I think, with the Benefits Agency, with regards to money that

was in her account and the fact that a previous client, or person

that she had looked after, had left her a substantial amount of money

in a will. These, put together, I think,

should have started the alarm bells sounding for the agency.

The company say it was aware Garvey was paying back money to the

Benefits Agency, but that it was due to her husband worngly claiming.

Consultus say it also checked with a solicitor over the money Garvey

was left in a will and were convinced that everything was above

board. We suggest to both the client and

carers that they should not accept any gifts of any value and if they

were to, in extenuating circumstances, then they should let

us know. The client was getting quite close

to Barbara and we actually raised concerns with the solicitor and

suggested that, perhaps, the relationship should cease, because

we knew that they were getting very close.

The solicitor took that on board, cancelled Barbara's future bookings

and then telephoned us at a later date to ask us to reinstate Barbara

Garvey, because the particular client wanted to have her back.

Sometimes, ocassionally, someone will leave something to a carer

that they had been very fond of over an extended period and that is

what had happened at this time. And, in fact, it was because she

had been left this rather sizeable legacy.

It made us think that she could not have possibly stolen the ring, when

she had been left this large amount of money.

The company continued to recommend Garvey to clients and she went on

to steal from three other people. She was sent to look after Sarah

Whitney's mum and dad at their home in Kent.

This ring was one of the items she stole.

That was given to my mother by my father, just after he had had a

period of unemployment, which had been very difficult for him.

And that was a thank you for getting me through it all.

And how did you feel when it went missing?

It was completely devastating. My parents were gentle people,

incredibly kind. They were both incredibly

trustworthy and they trusted everybody else who they dealt with.

I think they just could not believe that anybody would do this to them.

It is the sort of thing you read about in the paper, you never think

it is going to happen to you. One of the things that has upset me

most about this whole process is that the police told us that they

had taken Garvey's phone. They had analysed it and they found

a series of texts on the phone that she was sending, while she was

looking after my mother, to the effect that she had found a great

haul at the house and it was going to be a very productive and

valuable stay. I found the idea that she was

looking after my mother, performing various quite intimate acts of

personal care by my mother, and yet texting that she was going to be

bringing home quite a sizeable amount of stuff from our house, I

thought was just appalling. John Smith says Consultus should

have stopped sending Garvey to clients after concerns about her

were raised. If they had acted properly on the

original intelligence, we would not have three more victims a year

later. There was clear indications that

Garvey was suspected of an offence. Add that to the amount of money she

was left in the will, add that to the Benefits Agency enquiry.

Yet, she continued to work and three more victims paid the price

after that. The company says it was not aware

that Garvey was actually convicted for benefit fraud.

It only came up a few months after, in August.

But Garvey is not the only convicted criminal that's been sent

into people's homes by Consultus. Our investigation has revealed that

another carer, who has been working on behalf of Consultus, has

convictions for theft, assault and obtaining property by deception.

Consultus say they do employ some people with criminal records, but

that it is within the rules. Our clients use us because they

trust us and we would never employ anybody that we felt would not be

worthy of their trust or our trust, knowingly.

Despite the fact they have got a criminal conviction for something

like theft or dishonesty? That criminal conviction might well

be spent in any other circumstance, so we would.

Once again, I will refer you to the CQC guidelines which state that a

criminal conviction should not necessarily stop somebody, bar

somebody, from getting this work. I have to tell you that the

percentage of people that work for us who have a criminal conviction

is minute. It is less than 1% - and they are

very minor and would have occurred many, many years ago.

Consultus insists it monitors anyone with a criminal conviction

very carefully and checks references properly.

But that is not the case at all homecare agencies.

The Care Quality Commission says, of the 191 inspected in the South

East, four failed to carry out CRB checks.

And a further five had failed to carry out safe recruitment

proceedures, like checking references.

255 have not been inspected. Chris Wyatt helps to run the

Alzeimers' Society in the South East.

She is worried that many agencies have not even been visited for an

inspection by the regulator. It is hugely important, because

they are in their own home. They can, potentially, be really

vulnerable and, potentially, they are open to abuse.

So, in order to reduce the incidents, we really do need to

have proper regulation of all care givers going into an individual's

home. Consultus say that they regret

taking Barbara Garvey on and that client safety is paramount.

Client safety is obviously of uptmost importance to us.

We have grown quite significantly over the last seven to ten years

and we have done that by people coming to us that have been

recommended. Our reputation, what we stand for,

how we feel about what we do, is the most important thing to us.

So, yes, of course, the management team here will be looking at what

we can do. We will be looking at what we can

do to improve it even further, so that something like this does not

happen again. The Care Quality Commission

announced in April this year that it would be inspecting homecare

companies every year and, so far, it has inspected 60% of homecare

providers in England. We asked Care Services Minister

Norman Lamb if the regulation is tough enough.

I do not think you can say because something happens that is

unacceptable that the whole system is failed.

There is a very clear system that holds providers to account.

Inevitably, in all walk of life, sometimes things go wrong.

It is how you then address these failings that is important and I am

determined that people feel confident about the care they

receive in their own homes. With people living longer and more

and more elderly people being looked after in their own homes,

many will want to be reassured that the regulation is protecting people

That was Emma Thomas reporting. Coming up on Inside Out... And my

doctor did some research and rang up one day and said, how would you

feel about a man? Now, in Kent and Sussex, we enjoy a

rich variety of buildings, from ancient castles to modern designer

homes, but there is one kind of building that typifies the area and,

in its own way, towers above all The only way is up, which is bad

news for the defender fit building of the South East, the home that

gives us a skyline that does not to ruin the skyline, a design classic.

The bungalow. For us, you have got a great entrance hall as you come

end. There is a fantastic sea view. It is the low-rise residence that

most of us associate with retirement, being old and not

liking the stairs. Bungalows have an intriguing history, one which

makes other buildings seem a bit flat. We are taking a fresh look at

this unique style of building. Tonight, we bring you the low-down

You might think a bungalow with a tower is a truly a bungalow, but

these buildings in Birchington and seat at the Grand father at every

modern bungalow built in Britain. This local estate agent has sold

this listed bungalow dating back to the 1870s. The great British

bungalows started here. This was the first estate of bungalows in

the country designed by a local architect to be holiday homes for

gentlemen of position and leisure. They even had an annex at the back

four servants. The bungalow as we know Ed began when the railways

brought London to north Kent in 1863 when all of this was farmland.

The locals were quick to spot a money-making opportunity. So much

performers were very bright. -- some of the farmers. They let out

there landed that better returns. The people in London looked at

these great pieces of land and they swooped in. And they brought with

them a new kind of building. Based on a single storey building from

the hills of Bengal known as a bangala. I lived in one in South

Africa for a certain length of time, it was a fantastic building. It is

amazing. You look at it and you think, oh, that was the birth of it.

But what started as a grand colonial building became very

common with the invention a prefabricated flat pack bungalow

kits made in the UK and sent all over the world. The bungalow was

revolutionary and the buildings were cheap and easy to assemble and

consequently they popped up across the South East. One tannin

particular was devoted to the bungalow, Peacehaven, founded in

1916 by Charles Neville. It had an American style and layout of roads

and rectangular plots of land. It is still full of contented bungalow

dwellers like this lecturer from Brighton University. Her bungalow I

used to belong to her great aunt. She has been delving into the

history of Peacehaven and has noticed that what began as an

American dream of space and land is gradually being eroded. This plot

was part of a much bigger plot and was subdivided in 1968 and the plot

behind as was belonging to the section next door or and one plot

has become four plots which is interesting and that has happened

all over Peacehaven. Julie Basham has noticed it also. A layer,

welcome to my bungalow. After two operations, she moved here for a

stairs three life in Peacehaven. -- free life. Bungalows are a little

houses in little housing estates. So some crazy people in Peacehaven

and now using two-storey homes pushing the bungler to the edge. In

a few years' time when we had gone, there will be houses here.

Definitely! Es! Plenty of life left here. According to property blogger

Nigel Lewis, he is probably right about the bungalow. Because the

large plot of land or footprint that once made bungalows so

appealing to buyers is the very thing that makes them irresistible

to developers now. The huge plot so, if they used to be built on these

big plots, it was a place that you could have lots of space, but now,

sadly, they are very valuable as redevelopment sites and are being

snapped up. In the long term, is there a future for the bungalow?

Unless the small community of people lead the charge, there are

places and organisations like the contemporary society better looking

to save them, but unless they can do a good job, it is basically

doomed. Or is it? Perhaps the future is not as a home for the

elderly. It could be an affordable home for a potential of the young

generation. This is my new bungalow that I had moved into. Architect

Tim Wolfe-Murray and his wife wanted a detached home in

Canterbury for their new daughter. They discovered that the bungalow

was the only building in their price range that ticked all the

boxes. Five years ago if I had thought we were living in a

bungalow why would be very surprised. But actually, we be the

enjoy living here, and it has got lots of room in the house.

start of something new, young people in bungalows, the way

forward! Seduced by the bungalow! Es! And they have got big plans to

turn it into a dream home that any MTV Cribster would surely consider

an amazing bungalow! We have got milk, cheese and bacon in the

fridge. Maybe there is live in the old

bungalow yet expat -- life. Next, another report on caring for

the elderly. Britain is going grey at an alarming rate, so finding

ways to care for the ageing population is a big priority. We

sent Mark Easton our brand England to investigate the radical ways in

which we are caring for the elderly. -- around England.

I wonder what it is like to be 80 years old? If I live that long, who

will be there to care for me when I cannot manage? Who will pay my

bills? These are questions that we all answer, because we do not know

how much it will cost and you can spend everything before the state

steps in. Here in York, this city, some of the elderly has club

together to share the risk. It is a simple idea. Before you get to

decrepitude can apply to live out your days at this community run by

the Joseph Rowntree Foundation where the residents know that if or

when they need nursing care, it is available on site at no extra

charge. We came here because my parents had died and suddenly we

were the oldest people in the family. We came here and suddenly,

we were the youngest people and the family. There were people of 40

years older than me. They offer peace of mind here to those that

can afford it. The residents play into a communal pot, �170 a month

for a 60 year old, and little bit older if you join later. In return,

you can be confident that whatever happens, you do not get clobbered

with care fees you cannot afford. You pay the same sum year on year

with more or small increases which covers how much you need. When you

are fit, you pay over the odds. When you need major care, you do

not pay any more for it. We know where we will be when we die, and

to me, that is great. We can get on with living when we have ticked

that box. It seems to me that this is a local solution to what many

people would argue should be a national state responsibility,

paying for the care of the elderly. But the plain fact is, at the time

of public sector cuts, the politicians cannot agree on where

they will fight about it, so the issue is kicked into the long grass.

The truth is, despite the recession, Britain is still many times richer

in real terms than it was when today's pensioners were born. We

can afford to look after them, but in Westminster, seasoned

politicians will say about priorities lie elsewhere. Is it

just too ridiculous to imagine the answer to this question is to put

up the taxes to pay to look after the elderly? It is not ridiculous

to suggest we should use the tax system progressively, to look after

and care for elderly people, it is ridiculous politically because

nobody will touch it with a bargepole. Why not? We people are

scared about arguing about taxes and spending and scared of the

consequences at the moment of the economic impact in terms of further

depression of the economy. With tax payer has apparently on cable or on

willing to pay for the increasing care demands of the Alta Lake, the

search is on to provide help without need for large amounts of

public money. I have come to Essex to see one of the 100 or so home

shares in action, an idea already popular on the Continent.

husband died in 2002, I have had arthritis for about 20 years, and

finally I found I was getting worse. I did some research and I came up

with a share and care. I rang up and said, how do you feel about a

man? I thought, a man. Why not! was matched with 45-year-old Graham,

an NHS worker. For the last two years, they have lived together

here in her home. The delays, he lives rent free in return for

spending around 10 hours a week helping out. It has allowed you to

stay here? Exactly. I desperately wanted to stay here. I love my

house and I intend to be carried out in my coffin. He has been

absolutely amazing. He has given me my life, my quality of life. It has

risen like that. We laugh, he makes me roar with laughter! Sometimes, I

make him roar with laughter! Yes, when you tell dirty jokes! It is so

nice when you see some of the situations like this that work.

There are needs that cannot be too severe, and very importantly, the

characters have to be right to get this kind of special relationship.

It is an answer, but it is not the Over on the Isle of Wight, there is

a unique social experiment being piloted called care for care. The

idea is simple, for every hour of voluntary care that people put in

for their elderly neighbours, they built up an hour's worth of care

credit that they can keep in a time Bank and used for their own care

later in life. One of the youngest of the 150 members that signed up

for the pilot scheme is 36-year-old Lewis, who has been helping out 87-

year-old Pearl. Are have been coming to see her for about six

months now. I would like to think that the hours I spend their banks

towards helping my mother or helping myself if and when I need

it. We spend a lot of time talking. He talks to May. But that is a big

help to me, because people do not come. This is the brainchild of a

professor that hopes it will pay a key part in solving the care crisis.

-- play a key part. We have set up a large scheme, we hope there will

be a million members in a national scheme. The problem is, with the

next generation, if it is sufficiently keen to ensure it CD

in their own age to invest in the hours which would buy them their

care and pension. Here in Westminster, the talk is all about

cuts and austerity, not spending billions of pounds a more caring

for the Adelaide, so the responsibility falls on the wider

society. -- caring for the elderly. They need to fill that gap and have

all of us to feel more confident about the prospect of growing old.

-- help all of us. If you want any more information

about a night's programme, you can visit our website so. You can also

watch the programme again on the BBC iPlayer. Coming up next week:

They look at us like we are a dart. Be is a young mother always a bad

mother? We are not always like that, you focus on the negative, you do

not know us. And soon we will be voting on the new American-style