HOME Care staff have warned people will die due to “complete chaos” over changes to shifts at care provider Cordia.

One employee said the Glasgow City Council arm’s length organisation fielded 1000 calls in 14 hours from clients, forcing some telephonists to break down in tears.

Several distraught employees contacted the Evening Times after we reported Cordia’s plans to change the shifts on Monday.

While some of clients’ calls were asking for general information information, others were complaints regarding late arrivals or changes to personnel.

She said: “In the actual main office at Borron Street, the receptionists have been in tears because of all the calls. The lines have been red hot.

“They had in excess of 1000 calls in 14 hours on Monday, of complaint and people concerned about their family member. It’s an absolute disaster.”

Some staff confirmed clients had been completely left off their sheets, missing out on the vital care they are supposed to receive.

Others accused the firm of threatening to move staff who did not want to comply with the new shift patterns, which will see some staff work seven days on and seven days off.

One employee who has worked with the firm for 15 years said: “People are going to die, and I really hope they sort this out before that happens.

“Clients are being missed all over the place people not getting their regular visits and if they need medication at certain times it can be really serious.”

Many staff complained they have cut down the number of carers servicing each area, meaning the remaining staff have to cover the workload.

Another woman who has been a home carer for 15 years said the service is at “breaking point” and is the worst she has ever seen it.

She said: “The clients are not getting the proper care, especially those with dementia who are being left on their own and nobody is turning up.

“It’s a farse, the whole thing is not working out.

“We’re getting grief off the coordinators because they have messed up and not put the clients on our list and they are expecting us to do all this extra work.

“We’re getting hassle from the clients as well as we are late or if someone hasn’t turned up to their previous appointment.

“I just can’t cope any more, we’re all at breaking point here.”

Another woman, in her 40s, has worked at Cordia since 2009 and said: “It’s a complete and utter shambles. Clients are being missed, we’re having our sheets constantly changed with the clients names and addresses on it.

“Staff have been moved, we don’t have enough staff to cover the amount of clients.

“The clients are really suffering and they are complaining. Vulnerable people are at risk.”

Sam Macartney from Unison’s Glasgow City branch said: “It’s absolutely obscene; they are offering a care service but they don’t’ care about their own staff’s person needs.

“This is a disaster, it’s harassment and bullying at its worst.

“About 99% of the staff here are females and they are being exploited, they are low-paid, some of them are having to walk for an hour to get to work.

“It’s absolutely obscene, they are offering a care service but they don’t’ care about their own staff’s person needs.

“This is a disaster, it’s harassment and bullying at its worst.”

A Cordia spokesman said: “We always anticipated a higher-than-average number of calls on Monday because we had written to all of our service users and encouraged them to call a dedicated line with any questions.

“Call numbers were back to normal on Tuesday and have been lower than average on Wednesday.

“The same resources will be in place next Monday and, again, we expect an increase in calls as we talk to service users.

“We have a system for recording appointments and visits, which are reported to the Care Inspectorate.

“To the best of our knowledge, we have not missed any visits and we have not taken any calls or complaints about missed visits.

“We did take some calls from users where carers had not arrived at the expected time, but this also happened under the previous working patterns.

“The nature of the work means carers can be detained with any client for longer than expected at any time.”