Life Post-Assessment

The dreaded assessment is done but Cardiff Social Services wouldn't budge on the issue of a mediator so I took my own!
Dr Dave Bailey attended along with Pete and myself and the assessors from Cardiff LHB and Cardiff Social Services.
It was pretty straightforward as Pete's needs are obviously immense and so he is almost certain to qualify for Continuing Health Care - but that isn't the issue!
The issue is that what "normally" happens is that the District Nursing service take over once someone like Pete is deemed to have primarily Health needs. This means losing all the carers who have looked after Pete for the last 6 years and the independence that we currently have to organize that care.
Thankfully Dr Bailey was there to point out that what Pete needs is carers who know him well enough to instinctively know what he wants despite his almost total inability to communicate and that changing his carers would be a deterioration in his care package.
We will wait and see if the message gets through and if Edwina Hart and Graham Williams from the Welsh Assembly Government continue to monitor the situation as closely as they have been.

As far as the Rees family are concerned, life goes on - Catrin is enjoying school holidays and Pete has another chest infection but we're hoping he will perk up now he's on antibiotics.

Date for Assessment - July 14th 2008

Cardiff Local Health Board contacted me today to tell me that Pete's assessment will take place at 1pm on Monday 14th July.
There will be a representative from both Social Services and Health and they will be undertaking a joint assessment of Pete's needs.
We have not resolved the issue of a mediator but I have had a personal letter from Edwina Hart which has meant that I am willing to go ahead despite this.
The Director of Social Services in the Welsh Assembly Government, Graham Williams, has met with both Health and Social Services and they have written their first joint letter to us regarding the assessment.
Edwina Hart has expressed her dissatisfaction with the way our situation has developed and has assured us that her "officials will remain in close contact with the local authority and the LHB to establish that progress is being made by them".
As his condition continues to deteriorate I hope that the intervention of the Minister for Health and Social Services will produce the result that Pete deserves - to die at home with dignity.