Illegible Writing on Court of Protection Forms

[Emily M]

I have just received notification from the Court of Protection that they have received my application. They have issued a case number in writing that is practically illegible. It was unclear if one of the digits was a number or a letter because it is joined to the previous digit, as many of the other figures are. I could not risk completing the other numerous forms without checking this, so I have just spent 20 minutes waiting on the phone for someone to respond to my call so I could ask them to read the number to me.

I asked them to inform the person that wrote this that they need to make their handwriting clearer. They said they would, but I doubt it will happen.

Had it been my writing that was illegible they would have returned the documents to me refusing to process them.

 

[Canadian Joanne]

I understand how frustrated you must feel. If I were you, I would send a letter to the head of the department with your complaint and recommend that they switch to using computers if possible so that legibility will not be an issue. If they can't use computers, perhaps a stamp would work.

I do think that a letter works best, as a verbal comment can be ignored.

 

[Emily M]

I understand how frustrated you must feel. If I were you, I would send a letter to the head of the department with your complaint and recommend that they switch to using computers if possible so that legibility will not be an issue. If they can't use computers, perhaps a stamp would work.

I do think that a letter works best, as a verbal comment can be ignored.

Thank you for your reply Joanne. That is a very good idea. It doesn't actually help them as an organisation because it wastes their time as well as mine when I have to phone them for clarification. There have been quite a few issues and I was thinking writing them a letter addressing all of these once the Order has been granted.

 

[In a Whirl]

I sometimes think common sense has fled out the window. Let's computerise everything.Emails remain unanswered & web sites go down. COP website with the forms did today for example .

The early adopters of the sexy strategy of digitalising archives & libraries are now finding that the naysayers were right. The technology used 10 - 15 years ago is already obsolete.A great number of highly skilled jobs were lost to pay for such projects.

What is going to happen when the Baby Boomers all get to old & doddery to keep up with the latest edition of Windows or Acrobat? Am I going to stick my head in the sand ..you bet. I'll throw the wretched computer the window & yell "Freedom at last "

Onboard computer technology in cars causes horrendous bills if it goes wrong AND it can be hacked.

Mobile phones...don't get me started.

Yours sincerely,
Mrs Meldrew.

 

[Emily M]

I sometimes think common sense has fled out the window. Let's computerise everything.Emails remain unanswered & web sites go down. COP website with the forms did today for example .

The early adopters of the sexy strategy of digitalising archives & libraries are now finding that the naysayers were right. The technology used 10 - 15 years ago is already obsolete.A great number of highly skilled jobs were lost to pay for such projects.

What is going to happen when the Baby Boomers all get to old & doddery to keep up with the latest edition of Windows or Acrobat? Am I going to stick my head in the sand ..you bet. I'll throw the wretched computer the window & yell "Freedom at last "

Onboard computer technology in cars causes horrendous bills if it goes wrong AND it can be hacked.

Mobile phones...don't get me started.

Yours sincerely,
Mrs Meldrew.

Hello In a Whirl (Mrs Meldrew!)

Thanks for that little piece of humour to brighten up the day!

I suppose I quite like technology and use the internet a lot, but it is only as good as the source that the information is coming from and if people don't answer e-mails then what's the point of sending them.

Common sense is a wonderful thing and I think everyone working in organisations like the Court of Protection should be told during training that their hand writing needs to be clear when they are writing important information like the Case Number. I think there also needs to be standardisation as well because the continental 7 (crossed through) was used and not everyone is familiar with this; there seems now to be a higher proportion of people from overseas working in some of these offices, particularly in London. Often pupils in schools in the UK are told not to use the continental 7.

I agree with you that many things such cars can be expensive when they go wrong because of the on-board technology; and what about those lorry drivers that get stuck in narrow country lanes because they are relying too much on their GPS!

There are other serious problems caused by advancing technology and keeping up with the hackers. For example, I feel awfully sorry for older people who are not used to using technology and keeping up to date with the changes. Talking Point being dedicated to people with dementia makes one realise how their problems can be exacerbated these days. It is not only computers and mobile phones, but remembering the numerous pin numbers, security questions, etc, that are needed just to get hold of their money. Many people who don't have dementia struggle with this.