Here is the Ombudsman’s decision about my son’s care.
Today, I’ve just complained to them that the LA hasn’t completed many of the actions they agreed. The saga continues.
https://www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/adult-care-services/assessment-and-care-plan/16-013-040
Well, that’s a lengthy investigation and report!
If only they’d get on and do it. Do you think the staff are capable of recording the sorts of things the Ombudsman is asking? I suspect they’d need training.
Melly1
Thank you for sharing this complex series of events and intricacies of the care plan, expectations and short fallings. I too would think it would take highly trained, educated staff to devise, implement such a plan and assess and document outcomes and your son’s desires, preferences and choices. Just how many carers have those abilities? A tricky delicate balance all round. No wonder the county offered to relieve you of your appointee role!
All the County want is to shut me up and get me to go away. I just want decent care for M so I can retire from all the running around.
Two weeks ago I found he’d been given some metal fillings at the dentist. They should have been white, it should have been on his records, just ring me and I pay the extra. So I wrote a note in the Communication book at the flat, as he was going to have some more today. I found out by chance, so left a note in the diary, white fillings, ring me, I’ll pay.
It should have gone down on the weeks Activity Plan, compiled after looking in the diary. I’ve never seen an Activity Plan, but according to yesterday’s meeting, there is always one.
This evening I had an apologetic note from the manager, the member of staff taking M to the dentist collected him from day service, not the flat, so didn’t read the diary.
M now has MORE metal fillings. Grrr!
Grrrrrr indeed! I didn’t realise they still did metal fillings.
Surely that’s a safeguarding issue? The ignoring/not reading/not knowing about medical need for white fillings? Did the dentist not know either?
Mrs. A, I was wondering that as well. I’ll take it up with them on Monday.
M cannot legally sign anything as he doesn’t read and doesn’t know the difference in filling types. Actually, they should have ensured that he had a mental capacity assessment first.
Hi ,BB i don’t think our beloved Shropshire council is doing it’s fair share of caring for Malcolm ,i am thinking of getting him back in a day center if there are any left ,all he wants to do is sit in front of the tv .
If M was living at home with me, I knkow he wouldn’t get the same amount of care as he does in his own flat. As a carer you should not be expected to care for 24/7.
Blimey, and to think I’m scared to confront a Carer stinking of Ciggies, you are a legend and true inspiration BB, or should I call you Mrs J!
Thanks Stephen.
Ever since 2005, when I had a very serious health problem, Social Services have known that I’m NEVER supposed to be caring for anyone ever again, yet this is repeatedly ignored.
More recently, my GP has written again to tell SSD that they need to sort out M’s care so that I can retire from caring.
Not much sign of that!
“she said her mental wellbeing would improve when she no longer had to fight for her son to have good care”
Do you think they’d recognize the phrase if I quoted this exactly just substituting partner for son? It’s exactly right. It’s the constant battles over every little thing that grind me down.
I know you have physical disabilities that prevent you looking after him yourself but what you’re doing sounds so much more exhausting both mentally and physically than looking after my partner full time without any visiting carers. I’m glad I’ve got the choice. I wasn’t cut out to be a manager.
when my partner was getting carers he was asked if he minded having a male carer. He said he didn’t mind either way. What we did specify was non-smoker and spoke good English. I guess there’s a lot of people needing care who don’t need English speaking staff but for my partner with hearing and speaking impediments it is vital. As it turns out he prefers male carers as they instinctively look out for his genitalia getting caught up in a way a woman, even me, never could. I’ve seen carers smoking outside but they never came in smelling of smoke and although his carers have had a range of nationalities and ethnic origins they have all spoken very good English. The hardest person we’ve had to understand so far is a taxi driver from the far North East who speaks fluent English but with a thick unfamiliar accent.