Dealing with safeguarding and protecting blind friend in care home/grateful for advice

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Dear Friends ,hope you are all well; I want you all to know that you are all amazing and doing great things; I would love to ask your advice

my blind friend is being evicted from an unsafe nursing home ( I think it is called a revenge eviction) as i have raised multiple safeguarding reports eg over sedation; she was given 28 days to leave; there is no power of attorney in place

she is being sedated against her will etc#have complained to cqc, safeguarding and nhs cont care who fund her placement

she was reviewed by nhs cont care who got her in a room by her self and would not let me sit in , despite susan requesting she wanted me there; susan has full capacity; please tell me anything you would do in my position

sample sagfeguarding here

she is being treated like a criminal and i am frightened she will be sent o an even worse nursing
homethanks so much susan?: yesterday when I managed to speak to Susan she was incredibly sedated ; she told me she had been ā€œkilledā€ and that she was trapped; Susan could barely speak, with her words slurring and very slow; she was trying to speak but was incoherent; it is well known that over sedation stops people from thinking rationally and being unable to talk to people in a normal conversation. Quite a few times this past month, Susan has been chemically restrained and she has been alone for hours with no apparent supervision.

Is there any other information youā€™d like to share?: Susan has been prevented from coming to special folk groups online, ( Susan used to play herself at many folk groups in Liverpool and elsewhere ) where other blind musicians play; this has been a real blow to us , as we had everything arranged and then at the last minute, we found out that she was too sedated to attend; She has also missed out on coming online to Christian Mass or service , again because she had been sedated; these are breaches of her human rights. Please could you help ensure she is not sedated any more, so Susan and us can feel she has a sense of dignity ; please can you help Susan be safe, whether that means some interim one on one care, so she can be treated like you or me; thank you so much for your help. As you know, Susan was given 28 days to leave x care home ; she really needs to be treated in a trauma informed way, taking into account all her previous trauma and the fact that she is triggered very easily. A thousand thanks for your great help in this matter; we appreciate everything you are doing to keep Susan safe. Best wishes Susan

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What a terrible situation.
Have you spoken to CQC?
This is very serious, potentially even a police matter.

Who is supposed to be finding her a new placement?

If she has mental capacity she can give you Power of Attorney. I know this is a longer process than it used to be, but once she has signed the form, and you have a copy, it shows clear intention.

Does she have under about Ā£6,000? If so, she might be entitled to legal aid?

This is one of the most serious posts I can remember ever seeing here. You are being a brilliant friend.

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@susan_170912, I agree with @bowlingbun . Go for Power of Attorney and speak to the CQC. Also speak to Citizenā€™s Advice. They can point you in the right direction.

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@susan_170912 go to this website. caretobedifferent.co.uk that is the website for getting CHC but I know your friend has continued health care .dont worry the fact that she already has it. On the website bottom right you will see a number for an advice line ring that number .someone will answer and speak to you and ask you a few questions and then tell you someone will ring the next day. I did this completely different situation than yours .But a solicitor who specialises in continued health care rung me the next day .he was really lovely .you get a free call. He did not want my money Iā€™ve never met a solicitor like that all he wanted was to help me. He told me what to do to help myself.so try that they should either be able to help and tell you what to do or advice. Also every time you see your friend have a notebook and when you get home write down how she was over sedated etc. so you have notes.how she is .

Regarding the meeting I only read about this the other day and I am sure for CHC assessment people are allowed to have someone with them at these meetings .a relative or a friend. I think these people tell people no one can be with them from what I have read. But the answer Iā€™m sure was that they can. It sounds a terrible situation to be in. And like bowlinghun said This could be a matter for the police,

If she has mental capacity and is saying no I donā€™t want these tablets and they are forcing her to take them .this is unlawful and against her human rights they are not allowed to do this to a person with mental capacity they have a right to say yes or no. Even if it isnā€™t in their best interest they are not allowed to do it ,itā€™s against her human rights.

Even if someone did not have mental capacity it has to be in there best interest they cannot just do what they want to do. It has to be in the persons best interest.

Did you say she is on CHC so the nhs pay her funding. Iā€™m not telling you what to do or recommending that you did this .i am just saying what I would do.you have to do what you feel is right.

I would ring the number on the website, then a solicitor in CHC who specialises in it will ring you tomorrow for free. You get a free one call. See what he has to say. He may have other suggestions.

What I would do if it was my friend I would look round the area where she lived I would look for a nice nursing home whatever sort she is in. Find one that I thought she and I would like ,that you feel she would be happy in and that the place is nice and that they can take her so she has somewhere to go.then I would contact the police about it all. I would tell the police she has mental capacity.that is very important if she has ,the police need to know that. Then you tell the police all what they are doing to your friend sedating her against her will, she is saying that she does not want these tablets and saying no isnā€™t she. And then they are giving her them against her will. If they are. You tell the police , you tell the police you have reported this nursing home to the following places and you tell them who you have reported them to. Then you tell the police we have found this nursing home it is lovely and they can take her we would like her to be moved there could you sort this.this last part Iā€™m not sure what police can do.i would have thought they would be able to remove her for her safety but where to I donā€™t know. That is why I thought if you could find somewhere urgently where you live thatā€™s nice thatā€™s a place she needs ,that the staff and people living there are nice and like it and they have room for her, and that they take CHC funded people.them the police may take her to it .if you have sorted this instead of her ended up just anywhere. The last part is just what I thought I donā€™t know the law on that but I cannot see why the police would not do that.

I thought if you found somewhere urgently that would take her. Then the police may take her there. Or if you contact the police they may remove her and I donā€™t know where they would take her. Depends how fast you are at finding somewhere . Tell the people who are doing this that your friend has mental capacity.so they are breaking the law. Tell them they are and it is against her human rights and that they will be prosecuted for this. That she has rights and the law is on her side. that should stop them when they know they are breaking the law.it is abuse of a vulnerable person. while you get her out.

Also when you write things in a book, how she was right the date and the time every important.name the person if you know.

I hope this is useful. Please come back let us all know how you have gone on . take care.( sorry itā€™s long) I wish you well.

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As your friend is blind, would a specialist blind home be of interest to her?
Might be worth talking to the RNIB?

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@bowlingbun that is a brilliant idea ,get them get her out to one of those.i do hope there is one where she lives. They would properly trained and be more helpful how she is . And do things with her

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Hi @susan_170912 . Thanks for posting in Carers Connect about this very concerning situation.

We would encourage you to look at some of the guidance and links provided in the ā€˜Complaining about a care serviceā€™ page on the Carers UK website. We hope youā€™ll find this helpful.

We would also encourage you to contact your your Safeguarding Team within the adult social services department at your local council to tell them about your concerns. If you do not have the contact details of the local council available, you can find these via: Find your local council - GOV.UK and searching ā€˜safeguardingā€™ once on the council website.

Wishing you well

Michael

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