Covid in care homes, Working from the pub, Shell Energy complaints
The care homes going into lockdown due to Covid. The people working from the pub rather than from home. Shell Energy tops the league tables for broadband and landline complaints.
Some care homes in England are still closing to visitors when they have an outbreak of Covid. That shouldn't be happening because Government guidance allows every resident to have one visitor at a time, even when there is Covid in a home. We hear from a listener who couldn't visit her 94-year-old mother during a recent lockdown following a Covid outbreak. We also speak to Helen Wildbore from The Relatives and Residents Association. The charity says the continued use of visitor bans is leaving some very vulnerable people isolated and lonely. Mike Padgham, Managing Director of St Cecilia's Care Group in North Yorkshire, tells us about lockdowns in his homes.
We look at how pubs landlords and chains are coming up with new ways to drum up trade. Some are doing promotions to tempt people into coming to the pub to use it as a temporary office. Our reporter, Bob Walker, visits a pub in Nottingham where people have swapped working from home to work in the pub. He also speaks to the business owners who have concerns that doing remote work from a pub could compromise confidentiality.
Shell Energy, the giant gas and oil company, has moved into telecoms. Last year it took over providing landlines and broadband to more than 450,000 people who had been customers of the Post Office. According to the regulator, Ofcom, complaints about Shell Energy are three times higher than the industry average. The company is currently the most complained about for both broadband and landlines. We hear from listeners who've had problems and also speak to Katerina Vlachavas, Ofcom's Senior Policy Advisor. Shell say they are keen to improve their position in the league tables and are investing heavily in their customer service.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes