So what has become of the complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd Council Children and Family Department first raised on the 25th May ?
The report by an Independent Investigator was completed and handed to Gwynedd council on the 30th October. Gwynedd council are refusing to say if our complaint was successful and are also refusing us sight of the completed report.
Gwynedd council have also informed me there will be a further delay while they attempt to sanitisereviseredact clarify some aspects of the 'independent' report before we are allowed a copy.
If our complaint had failed the council would have informed us of this by now so I can only assume that the complaint was upheld - for the time being at least !
More - https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.co.uk/
The stage 2 complaint first raised against Cyngor Gwynedd Council, in May, is nearly complete and to be published by October, 2017.
The Ombudsman for Wales has also started their separate investigation into Gwynedd Children and Family Support (!) team for issues arising from 2010.
I have encountered some truly unprofessional and appalling behaviour - from support services through social worker(s) to managers and even a head of department not to mention the misnamed customer care team.
And I wonder...this must have happened to other people in Gwynedd ?
For the next period of time many eyes will be on the Gwynedd Social Services Children and Family Support (!) department but the remit for scrutiny is only for this families case.
So I ask if you feel that you have been let down by Gwynedd council social services in the past, come forward and tell your story now.
To those good service workers in the department and elsewhere in the council - who know of poor management, unprofessional behaviour , bullying, bad practice etc - now is the time to speak out and help change Gwynedd's failing council.
I include this article on the blog to highlight the problems SEND parents face in other areas of England and Wales.
It mirrors some of the problems I have experienced with my dealings with Cyngor Gwynedd Council and the Children and Family Support (?) department.
Recently on SNJ's Facebook page, someone accused us of being too hard
on local authorities who were 'trying their best'. Actually, I know
first hand that many, many people working in LAs really are working
diligently and with very large caseloads. I would encourage parents who
have had a good experience to tell us about it, so we can herald good practice.
However - there's always a however, unfortunately - too often parents
are still being told the wrong information or LAs are not playing by
the rules (i.e, the law). Too many in SEND and in social care
departments are still behaving as if the Children and Families Act was
just a bad dream, best ignored. This is very perplexing to me as the law
is clear to read and to follow, so what's happening to make compliance a
bonus rather than the minimum expected?
Recently, I heard about something happening to a number of families
regarding attempts to get social care help, that needs to be
highlighted. Hopefully those who ARE doing good work in LAs can make
sure it doesn't happen in their departments.
Nathan Davies of solicitors HCB, has written to explain what, in his experience, has been happening.
Threatened with care proceedings after asking for support...
It is common, in my experience, for parents of children with autism
to feel that concerns expressed to local authority professionals are
often discarded, or that there is a distinct lack of understanding of
the condition itself. This leads to disputes and disagreements between
the parties. These issues tend to arise once parents have realised that
they cannot continue without extra support or an alternative placement
be sourced for their son or daughter. The request being made is often
the trigger point for intervention in some form by the authority;
usually via its social services department.
The prevalence of social services intervention has steadily risen in recent times. In practice, the possibility of it being
initiated by the authority remains on the increase, despite this being a
highly controversial, and often inappropriate, tactic.
Your word against theirs
The problem parents in this position face is that it is often their
word against that of school staff or local authority professionals and
that is never a good starting position. The root issue however, is the
aforementioned lack of understanding of the condition itself. Those on
the high-functioning end of spectrum often present very differently
across a variety of settings. The fact that a child presents as very shy
and reserved in school and then explodes into one exhibiting
challenging behaviour at home, is very hard for some professionals to
fathom and can lead to them questioning parenting ability.
Parents struggling to cope and requiring additional support in the
family home, are often deterred by the threat of intense scrutiny and
criticism by social services. The possibility of raising child
protection issues or launching even care proceedings (in extreme cases)
are tools local authorities are increasingly using, especially during
these times of austerity and public sector cuts. But cuts can in no way
be an excuse for such unnecessarily heavy-handed approaches being
employed.
Nathan Davies
Professional guidelines
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has guidelines
relating to standards of conduct, performance and ethics each registrant
must uphold (this includes social workers). One of the pillars of
practice is for the professional to ‘work within the limits of their knowledge and skills’.
Given this, it is fundamental to ensure that each professional is
appropriately trained and/or knowledgeable to a reasonable degree in
autism to discharge their duties to the child and family appropriately.
If this is not done, one cannot expect a proper assessment of their
social care needs to be undertaken; thereby polluting the entire
process. Without such understanding of the condition, the HCPC
guidelines specify that the matter should be referred to another
practitioner if what the chid needs would be beyond the scope of their
practice but this is rarely, if ever, done. It cannot be emphasised
enough how important this is, especially when it is a requirement for
each HCPC registrant to ‘promote and protect the interests of service users and carers’.
Below are some anonymised case examples which show how these strategies are being used by local authorities throughout the UK:
Case Study 1:
This concerned parents in England of a child with high-functioning
ASD. Given her high-achievements at school, the child had attended
mainstream school well into her teenage life (without an EHCP). Even
when concerns were raised over challenging behaviour in the home as a
result of her inability to cope at school, these were immediately
treated as the parents over-exaggerating the child’s difficulties, even
after they had secured a diagnosis for her from a multi-disciplinary
team in the private sector.
The local authority, when requested to assess her additional learning
needs, took action; they proceeded with social services intervention, a
flawed and malicious assessment and subsequently placed the child on
the Child Protection Register. After seeking legal advice, the family
challenged the authority, ultimately leading to a retraction. The child
has now been issued with an EHCP with the SEN Tribunal agreeing that a
specialist ASD placement be named.
Case Study 2:
This related to a family in South Wales, who again experienced great
difficulties with their local authority. The child had a diagnosis of
Pathological Demand Avoidance but the parents had been unsuccessful in
securing a specialist placement for their son via the Tribunal process,
with the assistance of an advocate.
Given the extreme levels of aggressive behaviour in the home
environment (and his inability access a school at all), it was
imperative for the authority to accommodate the child, pursuant to
section 20 of the Children Act 1989. The authority did so, but
thereafter sought to target the family with a variety of unfounded
allegations, unlawful s.47 investigations and blame for the child’s
behaviour was attributed to perceived ‘bad parenting’, a manifestly
unreasonable position to hold.
These issues were appropriately resolved in the parents' favour, who
were issued with a comprehensive and unreserved apology from the
director of social services. The child now attends a suitable local
provision and is thriving.
We need to be aware...
Unfortunately, scenarios such as the above are becoming more common
and intimidation of parents who are simply trying to get help for their
child is often difficult for many to comprehend. Parents being penalised
or vilified for seeking support for their disabled child is not right
in any society, yet it appears that in 21st century Britain
this is perfectly acceptable in some LAs. Awareness of this issue being
made known to the public can only help parents in similar situations.
Unlike the report last year authored by Margaret Kenealy Jones, this report has not been used to revise history nor used as a vehicle to whitewash unprofessional behaviour and systemic failings within the children's department of Cyngor Gwynedd and this is to be welcomed.
Saying that the report does appear to have some glaring ommissions and anoma-lies -
"Over the years, the Customer Care Officer have successfully managed to establish close working links with the teams, managers and the legal section as a means of discussing and resolving issues. This is reflected in the low number of complaints reaching Stage 2 of the Complaints Procedure.
It is fair to say that there has been a clear trend over the past 3 years, that theChildren and Family Support Department have not had a complaint escalate toStage 2. This is down to the professionalism the Team Managers and SeniorManagers show when dealing with complainants; they understand theimportance of a local resolution and by discussing directly with the complainant they are able to address matters as soon as possible..."
Er...but Mrs Hughes there is a stage 2 complaint ongoing against Children and Family Support Department raised on the 25th May and due for completion any day now. Why has the complaint not been included in your report figures ?
I notice the Adult services acknowledge there is an ongoing stage 2 investigation and though not completed is included in their figures.
Marian Parry Hughes also crows that the department have had no complaint escalate to stage 2 over the past three years.
But that is down to one senior manager, Aled Gibbard, closing a complaint - without informing the complainant and your department refusing to escalate another complaint to the second stage, hence the intervention of the Ombudsman.
And knowing that to then go on and write -
"In comparison with other Local Authorities in North Wales, it is understood that Gwynedd have been successful in managing complaints at Stage 1 whereas other Local Authorities have a higher proportion of complaints progress to Stage 2".
and diss the conduct of other LA's in Wales is...distasteful to say the least.
I notice Cyngor Gwynedd appear not to have updated their website and still make no mention that one of the cases that they reference has been ongoing for years.
Earlier post here - https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/gwynedd-council-services-scrutiny-needs.html
First contact with the Gwynedd Children and Supporting Families Team was in 2007/8 and was appalling.
The family had to endure missed appointments, staff that were untrained and abusive comments from those involved in the child's care.
MSBP and poor parenting were all thrown at the family.
One so called professional, Dawn Wimpory, failed to diagnose the child and so many years have been wasted because of it.
Perhaps you should have tried engaging him with music therapy, Dawn.
That would have taken longer than the 20 minute consultation you gave the child.
A comment from one of the service managers in a review meeting "If he was my child....." led to the manager going off sick when the Independent Investigators tried to interview him for an explanation.
An illness that lasted for months and so the report was published without him being interviewed.
The report does mention Llyr Ap Rhisiart's absence and the fact that when he does finally return from illness he would not be in the same job.
But the question remains, Mr Ap Rhisiart.
What would you have done with the child who has Autism, PDA and other complex issues if he was yours ?
Someone even suggested clearing the child's bedroom and locking them in.
The child was 7 years old.
The Investigators found 16 points of complaint and bad practise - including lost correspondence and files - all upheld.
That was in 2010 and nothing has changed. In fact, the situation is far worse.
So I say again to Cyngor Gwynedd raising a complaint does not make people unreasonable - it simply means that unprofessional standards and bad behaviour should always be challenged.
The Assembly Member for Arfon, Sian Gwenllian, emailed me on the 5th July and sent me a copy of the long overdue response from Marian Parry Hughes, Head of Children and Families at Gwynedd Council.
Mrs Hughes begins by apologising for not responding to the AM and states -
"It certainly wasn't deliberate on my part."
So what was the reason for ignoring the AM for three months then ?
Mrs Hughes goes on to explain that Sharron Carter, Senior Operational Manager, had responded to the solicitor by letter and answered all relevant questions - in March.
The solicitor - after searching their files - state they have not received a letter from Sharron Williams Carter, from the date in question.
And if they had I would not have asked the AM - in April - for help in getting a response now - would I ?
I include a link to my post where Cyngor Gwynedd lost another important letter - one that had been placed in their secure letterbox in the Caernarfon office addressed to Aled Gibbard.
Preparing paperwork for the meeting with the independent invesigators dealing with my stage 2 complaint against Gwynedd council, I was astonished by the council's use of a black marker to censor comments made by managers to other agencies involved with the family.
The investigators were more shocked than I and told me there was no need or reason for council staff to censor and it should not have happened.
Then I discovered Gwynedd council had also sent me the personal information of another person.
A stage 2 complaint from 2010 showing serious failings in the Children and Families Department at Cyngor Gwynedd was upheld by Independent Investigators.
From 2014, meetings and decisions made concerning a child's future were being held behind closed doors by managers and a social worker without the knowledge of the parents or professionals involved in the case.
Worse was the fact that a social worker and other professionals were being ignored....as they did not feel the child's needs were being met,
A social worker who acted without thought for the code of ethics that he has agreed to uphold.
Or worse - a social worker who has been instructed by managers to behave so....inappropriately and against the interests of a vulnerable child - the client.
The jury is still out.
A failure of the children and families department to deliver the services granted by Gwynedd social services and when they finally appeared - after having their arm twisted by a solicitor - were shockingly bad.
So bad that a complaint was raised and which Aled Gibbard closed - against statutory policy - and also without informing anyone !?!?
Kenealy Jones - you said a search was made for the letter to Mr Gibbard he claims he never received. Did you look in the bins ?
I have sighted your email to your colleague, Aled, voicing your concern about where this case could go.
The service(!) provided involved the support worker - yes him of the grunts and no feedback - leaving the client alone in a car when he attended to his own bits and pieces.
You did read the risk assessment, Iolo - yes ?
Is it council policy to leave clients alone when in their care ?
All of this even before I asked the #Plaid_Cymru MP, Liz Saville Roberts for support.
Liz, who shook my hand, looked me in the eye and said "vote for me... and contact me if you ever need help".
MP's tut - some of them will say anything to get your vote.
Ah yes - I cancelled the meeting with the social worker.
The partner had become ill with the stress and nastiness of it all and my daughter had just suffered a miscarriage - all this and dealing with the light and dark side of PDA - it was a relief to use the time to calm down and think...
The social worker turned up anyway.
Lowri Williams, customer care(!) wrote later "...the Service felt that cancelling the meeting was not appropriate,"
Mr Haydon also wrote a report to his managers describing the meeting with me.
Jamie, I have seen a copy of your report and I hardly recognise your version of events.
Will the report be updated to include how you foot shuffled and spent most of our exchange staring at the floor like a scoolboy , mumbling -
"You haven't made a complaint about me, have you ?"
Will you update the report to include the fact that your managers, Melvin Panther and Sharron Williams Carter sent you to my house knowing that I had raised issues with your bad behaviour and the meeting cancelled - without informing you ?
Do you think that is "appropriate" behaviour from your managers, Jamie ?
Jamie, in your report you call me 'agitated' when I answered the door - that was a mixture of horror and anger at your presence until I realised that you had been set up.
What manager would send an employee out to visit someone who was upset and not even advise them ?
Were they hoping for confrontation ?
In March 2016, a letter addressed to an Aled Gibbard (Senior Operational Manager) at Cyngor Gwynedd was hand delivered to #SiopGwynedd at the Caernarfon offices and placed in their secure letterbox.
It contained confidential and sensitive information relating to an Official Complaint and raised questions in response to a letter from Aled Gibbard dated 11th March.
Mr Gibbard, was dealing with the complaint himself, and, even though repeated reference was made to this letter, alleges the letter was never received.
Margaret Kenealy Jones, refused to acknowledge that hand delivering a letter to Cyngor Gwynedd shop in Caernarfon and physically dropping it into their secure(?) letterbox means it was delivered and... "We have conducted a search; unfortunately this has come back negative....we do not feel that failing to respond to a letter which we did not receive warrants...investigation.
How many letters to the council posted in the secure letterbox get lost each year ?
Months later, Kenealy assured me in a letter that if the letter was to be re-presented Aled Gibbard would answer the points raised.
I have just received an email response from Cyngor Gwynedd council customer care(!) to my complaint.
The Assembly Member is still awaiting a response from the Children and Families department from over a month ago and the solicitor is still awaiting a reply from March.
Last night, I listened to advice and raised a complaint against Gwynedd council.
I have no faith that the council will treat it fairly or even according to law after the debacle of last year..
Still - the official complaint has been lodged and I await a response from the customer care team at Gwynedd Council - (customer care lol such a misnomer in this area)
What have I learnt from my past experiences with Cyngor Gwynedd council ?
That I may be setting myself up for more false lighting, manipulation and bad behaviour by the public employees at a Plaid Cymru controlled council.
I include this article on my blog to highlight the fact that Gwynedd social services totally ignore the law and have just been found guilty of maladministration in another case.
A council which withdrew
one-to-one support for a man with learning difficulties has apologised
to his mother and paid him £500 for the distress caused.
Gwynedd Council was told
to take the remedial action after being found guilty of
maladministration by the Public Services Ombudsman.
It follows a
complaint from the mother – identified only as Mrs X – that the change
had had a significant detrimental effect on her son, who was a young
adult with cerebral palsy and mild learning difficulties.
He had
been receiving nine hours of one-to-one support each week, but in
January, 2015, the authority said the service would end, even though the
client had not been reassessed.
A social worker said that the
council had been “over-servicing” and that the man did not meet
eligibility for one-to-one support.
Instead he was offered group
sessions on alternate Saturday mornings, but the family’s GP expressed
concern about the impact on him and called for the one-to-one support to
be reinstated.
In response to the Ombudsman, the council accepted
there had been shortcomings in the process and that alternative support
should have been put in place before the one-to-one support was
stopped.
As a result, greater consultation now takes place with
service users and their families when changes were proposed, the council
said.
Appalling behaviour from Gwynedd council social services - again.
Gwynedd social services were told last year that withdrawing support without re-assessing needs is illegal so why continue with callous and criminal behaviour towards the vulnerable ?
Why was the Ombudsman for Wales involved ?
Did the family try and make a complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd social services ?
Was the family refused their complaint as I have been ?
My questions to Cyngor Gwynedd is who will be paying the fine ?
Has any action been taken against those public employees responsible for breaking the law ?
Has the social worker been retrained to take in all aspects of statutory policy and reminded of the Social Workers Code Of Ethics ?
Has the manager been reminded that it is their job to make sure statutory policy, ie the law, is adhered to in all cases ?
What, if anything, has been done to safeguard vulnerable children and adults in the future ?
Will the names of those involved in this sorry state of affairs be known ?
Though the parents 2nd stage complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd Council showed serious failings within the Children and Families Department and was upheld by independent investigators in 2010 nothing has changed.
I have read through the report and noticed that many names involved back then are now ensconced as managers in Gwynedd social services, though it is not for me to say if these same people are now acting out of spite or have always been so unprofessional.
My experience working in the mental health field with dementia, learning difficulties, challenging behaviour and acquired brain injury was no use to me at all in this case and I was playing catch up for the first year learning about PDA, the boy's complex needs and gaining his trust.
I stood back and watched as first the Council got in contact and after discussions agreed that support may be available and a social worker would be assigned. Everyone was wary because of the behaviour of social services in the past but it was agreed that help towards social skills and integration was more important.
A social worker was allocated and a support worker was granted. Unfortunately the support was still not provided and so in desperation a solicitor was contacted and only then was a support worker assigned.
The first social worker was replaced by a second , this time from Children and Families, as the disability team would not assess, due to the boy having too high an IQ. This social worker introduced himself as having no experience of Autism and was not a disability social worker but said he was there to help.
He did not endear himself to anyone over the next period by comments such as -
'We are really doing the education departments job'
'What to do you want a core assessment for? I don't see what use it will be, can you explain to me how you think it will benefit *****? '
'I'm a very busy man you know' (when he failed to phone back)
'This service is really for people that need a social worker'
But he was all my partner had to work with and the fact the boy was, finally, going to get help with socialisation and independent living skills was enough for me to still my misgivings and keep my professional mouth shut.
The help and support that eventually began was anything but.
Communication was poor and I mean mono-syllabic from the support worker when asked for feedback. One day he just grunted at me when I tried to engage him.
Different days different times and sessions that were arranged with less
than 24 hours notice - and sessions were strictly on a take it or lose it basis.
The stress of dealing with this 'care support' had a knock on effect in dealing with other aspects of care and we all suffered for a period.
So a letter of complaint was sent to Support Services at Cyngor Gwynedd Children and Families Dept asking for continuity of times and reminding them that due to the boy's complexities the family had no idea of where he was taken, what subjects were discussed or how he engaged with others if at all and simply a plea for feedback to help us to help him progress with socialisation.
It is called team work and every professional in the care field will recognise its importance for the child and family - except, it appears, at the Children and Families Department of Gwynedd council.
A letter was duly received apologising for blah blah blah and informing us that we had to ask the social worker to ask the support worker to communicate with us re the sessions !!!! But they did take on board our need for certain times to avoid clashing with the child's education.
To be fair we were allowed the same time and day every week which removed so much stress and I am grateful for that. Imagine being grateful for a regular weekly slot from a children and families service(!) but I truly was.
The feedback from the support worker however did NOT materialise.
(Another social worker was asked further down the line again if we could have some feedback - again nothing)
In fact we did receive reports written by the support worker eventually. We asked Social Services for their file on the family and they were included. So much interesting information (and mis-information) But that is for future posts.
My misgivings and worry about what I considered unprofessional and totally unacceptable behaviour turned to anger when I returned home and found my wife crying. She had had a phone conversation with the social worker which had caused her upset.
Then after I listened to the recording of the conversation I became quite upset, too.
A meeting between the social worker and my wife had been arranged but I wanted to be there for support so I emailed Cyngor Gwynedd Customer Care to raise my concerns about their social worker, Jamie Haydon and cancel the meeting.
My email and first contact with Cyngor Gwynedd Council was dated 29th Feb, 2016.
I wonder if the Children and Families Department in Gwynedd ever ask themselves the question "how did we get here ?"
They have had Assembly Members for Wales, Members of Parliament, District Councillors, County Councillors, the Ombudsman for Wales all notified of systemic failures in the Department and asking questions of their behaviour.
I have been astounded at how ineffectual all these people are against council managers - whom, it appears, can behave as badly and unprofessionally as they like and there is no comeback - but that is for another post.
My involvement only began, last February, after a phone conversation between my wife and a social worker.
Remembering that - Gwynedd council need to be reminded that challenging bad behaviour does not mean people are whiny bastards - it simply means they are challenging bad behaviour.
Its slightly long winded so I will not reproduce it here in its entirety but I would like to comment on some of it as it seems so...well...personal to me.
This is an excerpt from a Cyngor Gwynedd Council report written by Margaret Kenealy Jones.
10.3b
Complainants
–
During this year we have recieved(sic) numerous complaints from the same individuals.
The individuals in questions will recieve(sic) a response and will return within a couple of weeks with a slightly different issue they would like to be addressed. They will also contact through different channels, for example
Solicitor or the Local Member of Parliament.
Example
–
A parent has been in contact herself regarding the hours of support work her son recieves(sic). As she is unhappy with the response,she contacted her Solicitor and her Local MP. In this case, as the Service had only recently recieved(sic) Access to the child in question they had not been able to produce a comprehensive assessment of need and therefore the hours agreed during the summer period was based on the information provided by the parent directly.
The Service are in the process of working with the family to complete a comprehensive assessment of the child’s needs in order to ascertain the amount of support needed. This has been closed as a complaint, and is now an operational matter being monitored by Senior Managers.
Does the new regulation allow for such a whitewash of the facts in this case ?
No mention in the report that this particular case has been ongoing for years.
No mention that in 2010 an Independent Investigation upheld an official complaint against the Council in this case.
No mention of the person being so ignored and denied access to services by the Council and so, in desperation, contacted a solicitor - and only then - strangely - were services granted.
No mention of the Ombudsman for Wales agreeing with the parent that a stage 2 investigation should be allowed.
No mention that the Ombudsman for Wales was then mis-informed in this case and superceded their original decision only after Gwynedd council supplied said 'extra' information.
No mention that Liz Saville-Roberts, MP, was contacted, as advised by the Autism Champion for Gwynedd, Elin Walker Jones.
Please, Kenealy, you are required by Statute to produce a yearly report.
I understand it is your job to paint the council and yourself in as good a light as possible but official reports presented to the public should always be used to give some modicum of accuracy and fairness.
Will you be updating the public on how this case has progressed in your next report ?
I have been trying to raise a stage 2 complaint against Gwynedd Council since June, 2016, without success. Gwynedd have done everything in their power to thwart an independent investigation into what I consider to be unprofessional behaviour and systemic failings within their Children and Families Services (!) Department.
As Gwynedd Council close one door I have attempted to open another. How ? By contacting my MP, local councillors, county councillors, AM's and even the Ombudsman for Wales. The story is getting out there.
I have noticed a pattern in all those who have contacted Gwynedd Council on my behalf. They are all told that I am NOT the birth father. Why ? What difference do these people think that makes ?
Are they saying that a step parent cares less for a child ?
The last person to point this out this was Gwynedd Council's Head Of Legal Services , Iwan G D Evans.
Does Mr Evans think that people who marry others should have less care for their partners children ?
Or is this an attempt by Iwan Evans to somehow belittle the concerns I am raising with other people ?
In 2008, I had a heart attack.
I had a stent inserted but during the operation I had a second heart attack and so another stent was needed.
My life until then had been spent working in the care field.
It began as a roving first aid responder at Heathrow Airport, then moved to caring for the elderly in a residential setting.
After a year working nights as a Care Assistant in a Nursing Home my nose took me into the field of mental health and dementia.
I found the work fascinating and heartbreaking due to the callous, profiteering nature of Care(!) Home providers.
I managed a sheltered housing scheme for 8 residents in East Sheen – which I hated.
Management meant staying in an office, dealing with budgets, Doctors and social workers.
I moved on a lot back then.
Learning Difficulties, Challenging Behaviour and the most upsetting for me – Acquired Brain Injury.
Owners of Homes used me to clean sweep their businesses.
Each home was eager for my knowledge and ideas on dealing with ‘challenging’ clients and to train other carers.
Exploring other ideas I had meant working for Agencies where I lived in Clients homes.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week gave me even greater insights into the issues that my clients faced.
I chatted with neighbours of my clients, dispelling their fears and getting them onside.
I asked local businesses to help spend time with them and even give them some unpaid work.
All to get them out of the house and meet and engage with the community.
Exhausting and wonderful.
It transformed their lives and I hope transformed those who gave their time, cash and love to them.
The heart attacks meant an end to all that, sadly.
I discharged myself from hospital after three days.
For the first three months, I was crippled. Gasping for breath, my liver shut down and I turned an interesting shade of yellow.
My doctor was useless so I stopped going though I did continue to take 7 lots of medication for a year.
I was living in Islington at the time but it was isolating for me and expensive. Relying on savings meant I had to find alternative accommodation quickly.
An old friend kindly allowed me to stay in his flat in west London when he holidayed abroad. Another friend allowed me to sit in his workshop during the day to keep warm and even threw me some money and bought me food in return for answering the phone.
Soon I was offered other flat sitting opportunities and some people even paid me to protect their properties when they were away on business. A weekend here, a fortnight there – time passed and my health slowly improved.
One year after the heart attacks, my girlfriend was diagnosed with Breast cancer.
Never rains but pours eh ? Long weekends were spent at her place in Surrey
My girlfriend struggled through the chemotherapy and the rest of her treatment but, one year on, she was given the all clear. She had beaten cancer but our relationship had changed from lovers to carers for each other and we parted.
A year later and I began suffering other health problems. My breathing had never properly recovered and I developed many infections.My back and neck stiffened and caused me pain. My left hand began to hurt and I could no longer clench my fist. By this time, the Conservatives had been elected, London became meaner and many of my friends had left the city. I found myself struggling to find accommodation and work opportunities were drying up. Care work was no longer an option because of Insurance issues and my worsening health meant I was no longer reliable, even for the piecemeal work I sought.
Cutting my needs and relying more and more on my meagre savings I struggled on for another two years. During this time I met up with an ex partner who also was my oldest friend. She was living in Gwynedd, North Wales, with her autistic PDA son.
Social Services in the Gwynedd area are appalling. She has had no support and Bangor CAMHS refuse to acknowledge the boy has any mental health issues, at all. After one incident, in which the teenage boy used violence against her, I gritted my teeth and moved in with both of them. That was 18 months ago now.
All my years in Mental Health did not prepare me in anyway for PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). Within weeks my blood pressure went through the roof, chest pains, my heart rate became erratic. I ended up presenting myself at Shrewsbury A&E. (I have had experience of Ysbty Gwynedd and #BCUHB, who treated me after drinking contaminated water and, again when my partner miscarried our baby – it is my hope never to go there again). All the tests were good – well for a man with my cardiac issues and the Hospital put it down to stress.
I then signed on with the local Doctors Surgery and was given statins. Blood tests followed. The statin caused so much pain I could hardly move. A different statin and then Ramipril – more pain than before. I stopped the statin then realised it was the Ramipril. After nearly three months of pain and distress – I stopped the medication. My health improved – my stress levels did not.
The Doctor noticed something during an examination and ordered a Lung test. I failed and was diagnosed with COPD. I have not been back to see her since. My breathing has worsened this last year, blood pressure still too high but I need to be able to move quickly to deal effectively with the teenager and also my disabled partners needs are increasing as she ages.
The boy had recently been given four hours of support a week to aid with his social independence skills. Without warning or a re-assessment of his needs the hours were reduced to two – illegal in law. Take note anyone who has had their child’s support pulled.
The Support worker and Officer do not engage in any communication with us re the work they do with him. They refuse to give email addresses – no paper trail – do not give honest replies and are very evasive of communicating anything. So unprofessional compared to the integrated planning around the client which I had been used to.
