I hope someone will dissect my problem for themselves – so that they may be made aware of how bad it can be, when the people in charge of their ailing parent are incompetent.
My Carer status is a moot issue now. There has been a pile-up in my Universal Credit Claim, mainly due to the Care Coordinator’s lack of qualification. I would like to believe she is simply incompetent.
At some point, she informed the Carer’s Allowance people that I no longer qualify for the allowance seeing I am no longer the Primary Carer. Two Dale Carers were scheduled to coming in. So the DWP acted on her genius call – stopping my payments after the 2nd of September.
It turns out (I just found out this week - 30th) that as a result of the Coordinator’s actions - the Carer’s Allowance people suspended my claim pending an investigation. When the investigation would be held, no one knew; the agent on the phone could not give me a date. Without an investigator they could not do anything to change the status of my Allowance; they could not even Stop it all together.
In any case, I stopped receiving the allowance on the 2nd of Sept. The following Monday I rang the DWP - and they assured me it was being looked into. The following Monday - still no money. So I rang the Care Coordinator - who confirmed the above. She did not tell me of her plans because, in her words, “I haven’t seen you,” as if - I’m a hard man to catch. She is disgustingly unprofessional; she’s only fit to push a wheelchair, in my opinion, not handling people’s lives.
The Dale Carers only come in 15 mins at a time; one in the morning and one at night. They are only there as reminders for my mam’s medication. They won’t do anything more - unless my mam pays for it in her contract. My mam really needs more supervision; her health and safety is in doubt in my opinion.
In the meantime, seeing I wasn’t getting the £66 - I told the Universal Credit people of my change in circumstance, as a result they stopped my £160 “Caring for Someone” amount that comes with the U.C, but at the same time - sill imposed the reductions for receiving Carer Allowance!
Since my Carer’s Allowance was merely suspended, the Universal Credit system was showing I was still receiving the allowance! So it ended up with me just getting Housing Benefit and £50 less than my rent. I have no income at the moment; I have money - but I have no income!
I get £356.17 from Universal Credit; my only income. My Rent is £375.
I’ve been to Citizens Advice, to Welfare Rights – and I’ve now written to the Local MP. All of this, is due to the incompetence of the Care Coordinator; she is simply not up to the job and is a clear and present hazard to all her clients. She should be retrained – or else removed.
But as things turned out - I got a Job and so I have stopped my Carer’s Allowance claim myself, since I have a legitimate procedural reason to do so, through the Government Website. Hopefully I can backdate my claim for C.A to the 9th of September.
Still, my mam - is now in danger with no full-time carer to look after her daily needs. The Care Coordinator seems to be oblivious to the danger my mam is posing to herself as her mental health rapidly deteriorates. I cannot always see to her Doctor’s appointment and shopping requests. She’s very unstable and should really be in a home. Perhaps that’s what the Care Manager and Care Coordinator have in mind. Perhaps they are setting her up for the fall. But they are playing with fire; they are showing lack of care. They are criminally negligent.