Freedom of Information report inaccuracies.

Champers

Registered User
Jan 3, 2019
239
0
I’ve catalogued long and detailed posts on TP about our eventually successful efforts to get MIL the appropriate care she needs in a residential home but have now had another blip.

During our initial dealings with the care services, the SW told us that a concern had been put in that we were putting pressure on MIL to go into a care home from hospital when she actually wanted to go home. At the time, I asked who had made this complaint but was told it was confidential under Data Protection.

We put in a formal request using a template from the Information Commissioners Office and had to wait 28 days to allow them to gain access.

We have now received the hospital reports and are dismayed at the inaccuracies throughout. It’s sounds a bit pathetic on my part but I am close to tears having read it through. I have been particularly meticulous at recording immediately every conversation and dealing we’ve had with the NHS and care agencies whilst they were fresh in my mind - it’s amazing what you forget after a few days even! There’s an entry saying I put the phone down on the OT when she rang to arrange a review of MIL’s house before hospital discharge, I definitely didn’t! I recorded that I told the OT that as they had decided MIL had full mental capacity and we didn’t agree with their decision about home care, she would need to speak directly to her, not us, I was firm but polite throughout the whole conversation.

There’s another entry saying that we had told staff during a meeting that we were “very happy” with the care company. We actually said at the time we were very happy with the carers as individuals as they always worked hard but that we were concerned that they were exhausted from MIL’s constant overnight demands and we were disappointed that when the carers had need to call the managers, they either never came back to them or didn’t seem to support their own staff and that we were not happy because of the lack of mental stimulation MIL was receiving at home.

There’s a comment that when we arrived one day, it was noted my husband didn’t acknowledge or greet him mother - what?! Another that he was overheard telling her that to go into a care home would be much cheaper. He did explain to her the difference in cost because she actually asked him (although would forget after 5 minutes) but the insinuation all the way through is that our choice was driven by financial motives. Ironically, their very first question upon MIL’s pending discharge was how much money does she have in savings!

As we suspected, it was the care agency manager that put the initial report in about family pressure but because they were potentially about to lose a very lucrative contract, I always suspected that they had their own agenda too. I have it on record that this manager said to me in early May that she agreed MIL was struggling at home and that “residential care looked more and more appropriate” The fact that she then put in a concern about us after that conversation absolutely sickens me and comes across as so two faced.

I’m so sorry to offload like this, but all we wanted was the best and most fitting care for MIL and to read this makes us yet again feel like a pair of unscrupulous individuals looking for a cheap option,
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
4,415
0
Newcastle
I can understand why you feel the need to off-load. Being misunderstood and deliberately misrepresented is difficult to accept. From what I understand, you have now moved on and have put in place the care that is right for your mother-in-law, which is a major success in itself. Having had your justifiable rant you can now write this off to (bad) experience.
 

Helly68

Registered User
Mar 12, 2018
1,685
0
I sympathise with you Champers - I haven't had the fight you had, but our council are so useless that they can't provide even a basic rationale for their funding calculations and sent me the details of another resident by mistake.....
They ring me at all times whilst at work and I can well see how a conversation I have no record of suddenly gets quoted and misconstrued. It really knocks your confidence and the fear of getting things wrong when the stakes are so high...
I ask for most things in writing now(though don't always get this) and even got an apology the other day when the care home manager phoned my Dad (whose grasp on reality isn't great) the other day instead of me, against what I had asked them to do.
At the end of the day you can only do what you feel is best. Other agencies are so over-stretched and under-skilled that carers seem to bear the brunt of everything.