You are the one responding. You need the trustees to provide you with a written copy of any formal complaint. Otherwise you wont know exactly what the complaint is exactly, and also a written report of their findings upon investigation. That’s my opinion.
Yes, definitely.
Does dad have any home insurance?
Does it include “legal expenses insurance”? If so, ring the insurers asap as this sort of issue is probably covered. I’ve used my legal expenses insurance, once after my husband died and then when I had the Builder from Hell build me a new fireplace. Total legal costs for both around £15,000!
The warden has to provide you a full written compliant. That you can respond to.
It may be (hopefully) that when the woman is asked to put things in writing she realises that she can’t just get her own way, and it shuts her up. Fingers crossed!
Faye, its awful that you are being put through this, plainly because some elderly lady has nothing to do but complain.
I loathe no fee lawyers, but in this case you don’t need insurance, health care etc…Any lawyer would be willing to take your case free of charge on a no win - no fee basis.
Its time to put this awful Woman and the Warden in there place. I just hope when Dads neighbours time is up she gets the same indifference she has showed your Dad…
Thank you for your helpful and supportive responses. I’ve put in a letter stating our position- hopefully we’ll get a positive response. Fingers crossed.
Having a pretty horrific time at the moment. Dad is home and much happier which is good. How we the six weeks of reablement care has now finished and we’ve got to start renegotiating with the Council over his care plan- he’s doh led handed at the moment so I’m sure they won’t want it stay like that. We are also still having daily problems with the carers (not turning up and being hours late etc) and patient transport being so late the carers leave. We’ve also had an offer of £1k from the insurers of the patient transport service who broke my fathers hand and subsequently resulted in nearly six months in hospital. That wouldn’t even cover the transport costs of going to visit him each day. I’m sorry for complaining but do feel utterly fed up- almost like we are not human and people can do whatever they like to us and there are simply no consequences.
Hopefully things will pick up but I do feel very down. I’ve been to my GP who has prescribed medication but as things just keep going wrong it’s not really helping. I’m sorry for complaining - i know others have it much harder :I’ve a lot of respect for other carers I don’t know how you all cope!
Faye
You are not complaining! You have been through one of the most awful care situations and battles that I’ve heard of in 3 years on here. It’s right and good that you voice your feelings and fears in here. Where else can you to go for support?
If anything I, personally, dont think you complain enough - to the right authorities I mean. Its difficult to stand up against authority but I do understand your exhaustion and stress. Dad has to be your priority
And you are right £1000 is an insult of compensation
Please keep posting, its good to let stuff out, you are not a moaner , you are courageous and loving and we understand how difficult things can be
£1000 is indeed an insult but that’s just insurance companies’ standard operating procedure!
Do not except the first offer. Get a solicitor the cost can be paid for on payout from the insurers.
These types of always have a starting point. They see how the land lies etc
I know individuals who have received far higher compensation for less issues.
Citizen Advice will not deal with compensation cases. Expectation of compensation levels are different for everyone.
Only you and your father know all details etc.
£1,000 for life changing injuries, meaning he needs 24/7 care now? Nursing care £1,000+ a week!
Tell them NO!
Sorry, I didn’t make my thoughts clear.Your solicitor will be able to advise. There’s pain and suffering (physical and mental) as a result of their negligence, your father’s loss of his quiet enjoyment of his life, your actual additional expenses (travel, mileage, parking, loss earnings) and future additional costs of care , cost of any adaptations to his home and any appliances he may need for his activities of daily living (grabbers, special cutlery, plates, sock putteroners )- all those aids he now needs that he didn’t need before, any physical therapy or occupational therapy not provided by NHS but necessary to help bring him back to where he was.
The £1000 is just the insurance company’s initial cheeky offer and you shouldnt accept that, in my opinion.
If you have a negligence lawyer, they should have medical consultants review your father’s injury and advise on treatment needed and rehabilitation appropriate and likely outcome. They may need to examine your father and at very least examine his medical records. I wouldnt be in a rush to settle.
That six weeks ‘rehabilitation’ may not be enough and may need to be extended. Also, it would be useful in assessing your father’s injury/impact on quality of life, to compare his care assessments before and after the incident. Again, negligence lawyers should be experts in assessing the monetary loss - that’s what they do!
Also, now that the six week initial rehab is ending (the Care Act Statutory Guidance says it CAN be extended to a longer period of needed) the care agency notes should give a good indication about progress, or lack of it. This is crucial evidence for making a case for significant compensation.
Exactly. When mum had rehabilitation at home nothing actually happened, so I’d be curious as to whether or not the rehab was useful in Faye’s father’s case.
Did you say earlier that you had been paying the carer whilst your father was in hospital? You can also put that down as an expense. Whether you’d get all of that back is hard to say, but depending on the contract with the carer and what would be reasonable in terms of not wanting to lose the carer of some years and the anticipated discharge date of your father, it’s worth a try.
Yet another thought! The fact that the ambulance service’s insurance company has made an offer, albeit unacceptable, marks a big positive step forward. Now the negotiations begin. Make sure you wait until you know the full long term impact of the injury before settling.
.
Thank you all so much for responding- you really don’t know how much it means. I’ve been feeling very low, depressed and alone so it means so much to know we can come to you for advice. Thank you.
The Trustees of the charity where my father lives have invited me to attend a meeting next Tuesday or Wednesday to discuss the noise complaint. They say I can take someone with me but unfortunately I haven’t got anyone (friends and family have long since drifted away). I will try and see if I can get an advocate or my father’s solicitor to attend but unfortunately so far with all the other meetings I’ve had to go alone. As per some of your suggestions I did mention soundproofing options and even said we’d pay (I could get a loan) . The Noise and Nuisance Team at the Council have also said they would speak to the Trustees (we measured the sound in the flat and it ranged from 40-60 dB which they said was entirely reasonable for a flat) . The council said they wouldn’t have touched /pursued the case with a ‘barge pole’ : it simply wouldn’t meet their thresholds but as the charity counts as a private landlord in law we are advised (by my father’s solicitor) they can really do what they like. They don’t have to justify their actions. Please keep everything crossed that it goes well as I just don’t think I could cope with having to move my father at the moment!
We have got a solicitor representing my father over the personal injury. They are going to appoint an independent medical expert to review his medical records and then advise on what we should do. Unfortunately they have had trouble finding anyone to take it on but hopefully that will be resolved soon. I would be upset if he only received £1k : not that it’s so much about the money (although we really are short at the moment) but rather that after everything that has happened it would feel like a slap in the face to not even cover the costs of travelling to the hospital.
We met my father’s new social worker on Tuesday and he reviewed his needs. He seemed very nice but goodness knows what he will recommend. I have asked to see the draft care plan and assessment of needs. I’ve also pushed again for a Continuing healthcare assessment to be done. The reablement package finishes tomorrow -I’ve asked if the suppprting care arrangements can continue until a new care plan is agreed. We shall see. As others have said I didn’t really notice any difference between my father at the start and end of the reablement package - not much seemed to be done during it however it did mean that he got to leave hospital and get double handed care for six weeks. Even his renal consultant has said that he is much happier and more communicative now he is home. I suppose I am just bogged down in all the stressful day to day stuff (carers and patient transport not turning up etc) that it’s hard to see anything positive. I know I need to change my way of thinking- I’m just exhausted and feel very down. I honestly feel that on occasions the elderly, disabled and their carers are treated as sub human- that people can do anything to us /treat us however they want and there are simply no consequences. Their lives carry on as normal with holidays /nights out etc whilst ours are in ruins and we are left as exhausted wrecks. It’s all very sad. I don’t know how you all get the energy to keep going. You are amazing.
Thank you once again for everything. Your help and support really does mean such a lot.
https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/residents/landlord-search/
By law we only consider complaints about member landlords.
See if the association is registered.
I think someone already suggested the above
https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/others-we-work-with/
Thank you for this. I have spoken to Shelter and a solicitor. My father lives in an Almshouse which is run by a charity - who for these purposes count as private landlords. Apparently as such they only have to give 28 days notice and would not have to give a reason for ending his tenancy. Despite him having lived in his current flat for over five years and the reasons behind the complaint being unreasonable (ie that he is coughing and breathing too loud and carers are alledgedly arriving at 6am when we can prove they are not) he doesn’t have any rights.
We will just have to hope that the meeting next week goes well. It is so depressing.
__
Apparently as such they only have to give 28 days notice and would not have to give a reason for ending his tenancy. >
A dreaded Section 21 notice , Faye ?
( More on that if needed … only posted the latest on that issue on another thread earlier this morning ? )