CPN's Overstepping Their Brief

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear All,

I haven't been able to post this whinge before now, because I was absolutely LIVID.

On Thursday afternoon I had an impromtu visit from our local CPN's. Over the years they have been quite helpful on an ad hoc visiting basis - once every 3/4 months or so for 15 minutes.

When my parents were due to move from close care accommodation last year, they strongly urged me to place my parents in Nursing Homes, as they felt I wouldn't be able to cope ALONE with two demented oldies. A fair enough comment. At that point I was investigating Homes, but ultimately rejected this option because my parents would have been separated. Ultimately, I rented a bungalow and enlisted the aid of two carers.

This course of action was met by quite a bit of disapproval at the time, so I agreed to give it a whirl for 12 months to see how we got along.

We are almost a year down the track. My parents' health and wellbeing has improved out of sight! They are eating 3 huge meals [and snacks] daily, are going out for walks at least twice a day and their depression is now minimal. They also go out on visits to musums, picnics/lunches and shopping at least 3 times a week. Their obsessions about finances and ripping up tissues, rearranging their underwear drawers, etc have alll but ceased.
In short, they are contented and happy. In the past 10 months, they have each visited the local Doctor once for very minor reasons.

The purpose of the CPN's visit on Thursday was to inform me that they had grave concerns for my parents' welfare. Problems they cited were, personal hygiene; lack of activities; being left alone for long periods of time and that the house was 'filthy'.

My parents are washed from top to toe twice a day; the house is vacuumed and cleaned at least 3 times a week; we do at least two loads of washing every day and my parents were out on a market trip when they arrived. The criticism was then qualified as occurring when I am overseas, which was a clever bit of undermining.........

I also spoke to the Estate Managers here. They come into the bungalow and carry out routine maintenance several times a month and check the electricity readings every month. They stated that the house is ALWAYS in immaculate condition and my parents look well dressed, well fed and fresh. They have stated that they are quite happy to write a letter to this effect.

Unfortunately for the CPN's, they didn't realised that the Consultant Psychiatrist had visited us 3 weeks ago. So much for communication within their department... During his visit, he told me that he was absolutely delighted with the way things were running and was amazed at my parents' health and current mental state - which is all down to the care that they have received from Glyn and Carole.

I spoke to our carers about this and they were understandably as angry as I.

My question is - where do I go with this? I am simply furious that an attempt has been made to undermine my confidence in the carers and that they are being totally wrongly accused of neglect. Nothing could be further from the truth!

I have so far written a fairly stringent letter to the CPN's. Can I approach a higher authority and if so, to whom should I complain?

Advice please?

Many thanks, Jude
 

Norman

Registered User
Oct 9, 2003
4,348
0
Birmingham Hades
Jude
I'm disgusted.
You need to know your local Mental Health trust and write and telephone the Chairman of that trust.
I will see if I can obtain more info for you
All the best Norman
 

Norman

Registered User
Oct 9, 2003
4,348
0
Birmingham Hades
Jude
best I can tell Guildford PCT headquarters is at Broadmede House,Farnham Business Park,Weydon Lane,Farnham,Surry GU9 OQT.

pHONE nO:01252 305 700
Chairman is Christopher Grimes
Chief executive is Elizabeth Slinn
hope this is of some help
Norman
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Norman,

Thank you SO much for such a prompt response.

I will get onto this first thing on Monday morning. I've also spoken to Ronnie from Crossroads and also will contact the carers support web too.

I don't understand the rationale behind this attack.

I did have big problems back in 1999-2001 when I returned from Bali and was caring for my parents when they first were diagnosed as having AD. This was down to the fact that I had NO support from anyone, NO carers, and NO understanding of what I was dealing with. I came into the situation cold and literally sunk under the weight of it all. The end result of that was to sell our family home and move the oldies into close care accommodation. It wasn't actually a very good arrangement in the end. The promised activities did not eventuate, although we were paying for those. The food was below par and they certainly did not receive the care that was advertised in the brochures.

I know that the Department seriously disapproved of my refusal to split my parents up into separate Nursing Homes after they had to leave the warden assisted accommodation. We had several meetings, when I was urged to reconsider my decision to move them back into a family situation. By that stage, I had lots of information, carers lined up and felt 100% more positive about doing so. It's proved to be a huge success! There is no way I would have gone back over to Bali this February if I had any doubt in my mind that Glyn and Carole weren't competent to care for the oldies. We all worked together for 5 months to ensure that they were settled and calm before I even thought about a trip home.

When I returned in June I was simply AMAZED at the incredible difference in my parents' health and attitude. They've got a new lease of life really. This is all down to the wonderful care that they've received from Glyn and Carole.

I'm not the only one who is impressed. The Consultant Psychiatrist is delighted. The rellies are constantly saying how well the oldies look compared to a year ago. Our local Doctor is full of praise for the care and attention that they've received.

As you know Norm, I run a hotel in Bali. We are listed in the guide books as having 'spotlessly clean accommodation'. We have a full star rating with Rough Guides, UK on this. This is no mean feat in Indonesia. To be criticised for having a 'filthy' house made my blood boil because it was so patently untrue! I didn't have to clean the house upon my return from Bali, because it was already beautifully clean and tidy and the carers certainly hadn't cleaned up just because I was coming home.

What the hell is wrong with these CPN's - perhaps they don't like to be proved wrong? Maybe it's just sour grapes. I have no idea.

Best wishes Jude
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
Dear Jude

you can have no doubts at all that your parents have been extremely well cared for in your absence - the proof is in the pudding so to speak - whatever are these people being paid to do? I'm sorry to say I don't know what CPN stands for - "c**p professional nuissances" is the closest I can guess at.

It makes my blood boil that when we are desperately begging the authorities for help when we are at our lowest ebb that we are lucky to get a call back, but when we manage to prove how much better we can do the job than they can (at a cost to our own health and sanity usually) that they can't wait to put their noses in where they're not wanted.

Do what you always do Jude, fight back and copy every angry letter to every contact you have to ensure maximum negative publicity for these idiots. We'll be with you every step - let us know if we can help in any way.

Good luck

Kriss

ps - re Stephen Ladyman - I copied the PM's letter to my local MP(off the other side!) and had a standard response back today to say it had been passed to the deputy health minister.
 

janey

Registered User
Jun 29, 2004
86
0
Jude
You must be feeling so outraged and upset. Norman seems to have given you good advice - I hope you get somewhere with it on monday. Also, I agree with Kriss that its vital to keep copies of everything you receive and send. You could also try the Citizens' Advice Bureau. If you or your parents have a family solicitor, it might just be an idea to put him in the picture in case you need him at some point.
The very best of British (and Australian and Indonesian!) Jane
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
Sorry Norman - half a story!

It was only the letter I sent to Mr Blair - via Jude - complaining about our wonderful Health Minister after the Panorama programme.

I sent a copy of it to our local MP in case he was able to stir up a little muck on our behalf. It appears to be going through the process of being passed along the line.

Kriss
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear All -

What can I say? Just many, many thanks for your usual support, and positive thinking, as well as good info.

I've dashed off several very snarly letters over the weekend - probably quite overloaded with sarcasm regarding 'negative assistance' from CPN's. I will probably have to tone them down somewhat before I mail them though. The maintenance crew here [who are in and out of our house very regularly] gave me their advice in no uncertain terms. [It was short and to the point - just send them a two word letter!] Very tempted, but not guaranteed to generate a positive response really....

Anyway, I will be pursuing this matter very strongly.

Best wishes and thanks,

Jude
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Oh Jude, don't you realise what you have done? You have made the CPNs effectively redundant.

You have shown that despite all their training [huh?] and expertise [ho-ho], their advice is way off beam.

You have probably scared the pants off them because if someone higher up the chain realises this, then they might be out of a job.

So they have to be a little inventive to preserve their own interests.

CPN, by the way is a TLA for Creating Problems Nationally
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Brucie,

Yes, well they'll need to be a whole lot more inventive than that!!

They've really seriously rattled my cage.

Worse, they've annoyed Carole and that's NOT a good idea at all.... She and Glyn are almost even more protective of my parents than I. She's been scorching round the house for the last few days like a broody hen with an attitude problem, muttering......'I'll give 'em not clean, will I ever...' as well as a few other expletives that we won't mention just now. We've been cleaned to within an inch of our lives - even more than usual. [Fortunately we don't own a high pressure hose or we'd really have been in big trouble...] She is definitely not impressed.

You've got the CPN bit down perfectly - what's a TLA by the way?

I'm on to it.

Jude
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Aha!

well, people like the abbreviations so much these days that the normal three letter ones, all of them acronyms, are encapsulated as TLAs - Three Letter Acronyms
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Bruce,

Thanks for the explanation. I am flat out keeping up with English acronyms. The Indonesians do this too, but I'm all lot more familiar with theirs these days. Most of those are very amusing too.

Jude
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
Thanks Nada

it seems we were fortunate when Dad was poorly that we never came across this particular beast! As Aunty deteriorated so quickly we must have skipped that stage with her as well.

Thank heaven for small mercies!

Kriss
 

Geraldine

Registered User
Oct 17, 2003
143
0
Nottingham
Hi all

I seem to have missed out on CPN's , social workers, community psychiatrists and consultants etc.. while Mum was at home and last summer I was really struggling....do they only visit people who are ably coping!!!!!

Was it because I was doing a sterling job, or was it because I was doing a sterling job quietly.......


You decide!

regards as ever Geraldine
 

Norman

Registered User
Oct 9, 2003
4,348
0
Birmingham Hades
Geraldine
We have an excellent consultant who we see every 3 months for our tests.
We have a very nice CPN who calls every 3 months to deliver the Aricept tablets.
It seems it is more cost effective to deliver by the nurse from the hospital pharmacy than to provde a script for the local chemist.
She stays and has coffee and a chat.
One day I will have to call upon these people and at least I have the contacts in place
Norman
 

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