Portsmouth carer left 'upset' by 'killer' message on car as others call for abuse to end

Hardworking community carers are calling on 'a small minority' to stop abusing them in public while they are trying to look after some of the city's most vulnerable people.

Manager of Crescent Care, which looks after about 170 Southsea, Eastney and Milton residents, Marcus Kerridge-McColl, explained how one staff member had been left 'upset' by a note left on her car branding her a 'killer.'

The 49-year-old said: 'She had finished looking after a client in Eastney. She had had to park a bit away because parking was bad.

'When she came back she saw that on her car. She was really upset by it.

'Since last Friday we have had seven abusive incidents. Our carers are doing a difficult enough job without this.

'The night before last a carer came out of a client's house and was just going home and there were two adult men absolutely screaming "where's your mask."

'Luckily another carer came along shouted back and they ran off. We reported it to the police.'

Marcus feared the work of carers was being overlooked by some members of the public.

'There's a lot of respect for NHS workers and rightly so,' he said.

'Unfortunately the carers are doing a similar job but seem to be hidden unless you have a family member who needs care. We are giving people medication, we are helping people with personal care, we are keeping people alive and all while taking the proper precautions.

'I know it is a small minority but they need to stop doing this.'

Managing director of Portsmouth-based company Handle With Care, Andrea Fearnhead, had experienced some of the abuse first hand.

The 48-year-old said: 'Last Monday I had to go to pay bills for an elderly gentleman at the Post Office in London Road. I was getting out of the car and a group of lads came past and one of them turned around and shouted expletives and then spat at me.

'He came within a couple of inches of me and made me jump. He could see I was a carer because of my uniform and lanyard. Why put us at risk more than we already are?'

Her colleagues had also faced similar situations. She added: 'When lockdown first started one of our carers was leaving a house to get in her car and had abuse shouted at them saying: "You are killing people."

'Lots of our carers have experienced shouting.

'If people who don't need to leave their homes don't roam the streets then we would understand that everyone who is out needs to be out.'

It comes after other Portsmouth carers raised fears over lack of personal protective equipment and testing.