I received the attached letter at 4.20pm today....the day before the elections....too late to get any publicity going....too late to contact my solicitor.....HELP!!!!
Click on the letter to read
30 April 2008
27 April 2008
Election Day May 1st
Local elections for those of you who live in Cardiff are held this Thursday.
I wouldn't dream of trying to influence anyone but you might want to think about the following when you're making that decision as to whether to bother voting and for whom....
Cardiff Council has a small Lib Dem majority and therefore control the Executive.
Cardiff Council has not been behaved in a professional, ethical or humane way in their dealings with this vulnerable family.
Julie Morgan LABOUR MP and Robert Jones from her office have been a tremendous support to us and have worked incredibly hard to try and negotiate an agreement between ourselves and Cardiff Council regarding Pete's care.
Please use your vote to make a difference to us and other families in a similar situation.
I wouldn't dream of trying to influence anyone but you might want to think about the following when you're making that decision as to whether to bother voting and for whom....
Cardiff Council has a small Lib Dem majority and therefore control the Executive.
Cardiff Council has not been behaved in a professional, ethical or humane way in their dealings with this vulnerable family.
Julie Morgan LABOUR MP and Robert Jones from her office have been a tremendous support to us and have worked incredibly hard to try and negotiate an agreement between ourselves and Cardiff Council regarding Pete's care.
Please use your vote to make a difference to us and other families in a similar situation.
20 April 2008
Dr Bailey, Chairman GPC Wales intervenes
Dear Ms Schelewa
I am writing on behalf of Dr West who has requested help and advice in the matter of the continuing dispute regarding assessment for ongoing healthcare needed for her husband Mr Peter Rees. I have to say that the attitude of Cardiff social services to a hard working practising GP has the potential to do immense damage to future working relationships between the profession and Cardiff Social Services particularly threats to use the POVA legislation a flagrantly bullying tactic that I understand has been used by other social services against Welsh GPs and one which the BMA will not tolerate.
In respect of this specific issue I understand that Cardiff Social Services has refused to respect the decision of independent complaints panel that
“We are of the opinion that an external mediator, experienced in work with social services should be considered to help move from the impasse.
We feel that it should be considered that an assessment of need should be carried out by qualified professional(s) independent of the authority.
Decisions, discussion and outcomes should at all stages be explicit, transparent and recorded, so that the complainant and the authority are clear about actions taken and decisions reached, and their compliance with law and statutory guidance.”
and has instead merely appointed someone unfamiliar with the case to take notes and write a report. I have to say as a practising doctor I am unfamiliar with the concept that a complaints procedure can just be cavalierly ignored if one doesn’t like its conclusions.
I understand that the authority at the very last minute is trying to force through this assessment on Monday 21st against the reasonable concerns of Dr West. Following the bullying and harassment that has left her unable to provide medical services to her patients for the last three months, I find this attitude frankly astonishing.
You selectively quote from the minister’s letter to Dr West so I would remind you that she also said
“They would appoint an independent person to the multi-disciplinary team to ensure an impartial and fair evaluation of your husband’s needs and his eligibility for this type of care. This is, I understand, in line with the stage 3 recommendation in response to the complaint you had made to the authority via its complaints procedure over the way it had handled your husband’s care.” (My italics)
As previously stated I feel your response to the finding of your own complaints procedure does you no credit and I shall certainly reiterate this view to the minister when I meet her later this month.
Clearly both sides are not in agreement with the process. When a satisfactorily constituted assessment is convened I shall be accompanying Dr West for support and look forward to seeing you then.
Dr. David Bailey, Chairman General Practitioners Committee Wales
I am writing on behalf of Dr West who has requested help and advice in the matter of the continuing dispute regarding assessment for ongoing healthcare needed for her husband Mr Peter Rees. I have to say that the attitude of Cardiff social services to a hard working practising GP has the potential to do immense damage to future working relationships between the profession and Cardiff Social Services particularly threats to use the POVA legislation a flagrantly bullying tactic that I understand has been used by other social services against Welsh GPs and one which the BMA will not tolerate.
In respect of this specific issue I understand that Cardiff Social Services has refused to respect the decision of independent complaints panel that
“We are of the opinion that an external mediator, experienced in work with social services should be considered to help move from the impasse.
We feel that it should be considered that an assessment of need should be carried out by qualified professional(s) independent of the authority.
Decisions, discussion and outcomes should at all stages be explicit, transparent and recorded, so that the complainant and the authority are clear about actions taken and decisions reached, and their compliance with law and statutory guidance.”
and has instead merely appointed someone unfamiliar with the case to take notes and write a report. I have to say as a practising doctor I am unfamiliar with the concept that a complaints procedure can just be cavalierly ignored if one doesn’t like its conclusions.
I understand that the authority at the very last minute is trying to force through this assessment on Monday 21st against the reasonable concerns of Dr West. Following the bullying and harassment that has left her unable to provide medical services to her patients for the last three months, I find this attitude frankly astonishing.
You selectively quote from the minister’s letter to Dr West so I would remind you that she also said
“They would appoint an independent person to the multi-disciplinary team to ensure an impartial and fair evaluation of your husband’s needs and his eligibility for this type of care. This is, I understand, in line with the stage 3 recommendation in response to the complaint you had made to the authority via its complaints procedure over the way it had handled your husband’s care.” (My italics)
As previously stated I feel your response to the finding of your own complaints procedure does you no credit and I shall certainly reiterate this view to the minister when I meet her later this month.
Clearly both sides are not in agreement with the process. When a satisfactorily constituted assessment is convened I shall be accompanying Dr West for support and look forward to seeing you then.
Dr. David Bailey, Chairman General Practitioners Committee Wales
12 April 2008
You'd think I'd have learned by now not to trust them!
Oh what a naive little soul I am!
When Cardiff Council said they had chosen someone to act as mediator for Pete's assessment I foolishly assumed that they had chosen someone suitably experienced and qualified as recommended by the Independent Complaints Panel and endorsed by Edwina Hart.
Silly me.
They have chosen an assistant Team Manager from a neighboring council who will "observe the assessment process" and write a report at the end of the assessment. Not quite what was promised.
So that assessment that I had set up for the 21st April probably won't go ahead after all.
I'm going to attach my response to social services with quotes from the Independent Complaints Panel and Edwina Hart so feel free to put pressure on Edwina Hart and the Local Authority to make sure this assessment happens properly!
When Cardiff Council said they had chosen someone to act as mediator for Pete's assessment I foolishly assumed that they had chosen someone suitably experienced and qualified as recommended by the Independent Complaints Panel and endorsed by Edwina Hart.
Silly me.
They have chosen an assistant Team Manager from a neighboring council who will "observe the assessment process" and write a report at the end of the assessment. Not quite what was promised.
So that assessment that I had set up for the 21st April probably won't go ahead after all.
I'm going to attach my response to social services with quotes from the Independent Complaints Panel and Edwina Hart so feel free to put pressure on Edwina Hart and the Local Authority to make sure this assessment happens properly!
08 April 2008
Letter to the Local Authority
Susan Schelewa
Operational Manager
Room 236
Adult Services
County Hall
Cardiff
CF1 4UW
8th April 2008
Dear Sue,
Thank you for your letter dated the 19th January 2008 but which was received on the 22nd March 2008 where you named Jane Williams as the person who has been identified to undertake the role of “independent oversight of the assessment process”.
Jane contacted me last week whilst I was away and I returned her call today.
I explained that I had understood her role to be that which was implied by our telephone conversations of the 29th February & 7th March.
She informed me that she had no prior knowledge of our case and that the remit she had been given by her Operational Manager Ann Linton was simply to observe the process and to write a report at the end of the assessment.
I fear that I may have misunderstood her role as being that recommended by the Independent Complaints Panel in their Stage 3 Report:
“Because of the breakdown of trust is apparent between the complainant and team manager, we think it is unlikely that this impasse can be resolved without mediation by someone appropriately qualified and trusted by the complainant and the authority.
We are of the opinion that an external mediator, experienced in work with social services should be considered to help move from the impasse.
We feel that it should be considered that an assessment of need should be carried out by qualified professional(s) independent of the authority.
Decisions, discussion and outcomes should at all stages be explicit, transparent and recorded, so that the complainant and the authority are clear about actions taken and decisions reached, and their compliance with law and statutory guidance.”
During my conversation with Jane Williams today she explained that she had not been advised that her role was that of mediator and that she was not qualified to act in this way and agreed that what was needed was an experienced and appropriately qualified mediator with the ability to facilitate discussions between the LA and the LHB.
This doesn’t seem to be in line with the communication I have had from Edwina Hart which I have quoted below for your perusal.
“I am advised that your MP, Julie Morgan, has now met with elected members and the Council’s Director of Social Services. In that meeting the authority agreed that, if your husband and you were to agree to a continuing healthcare assessment, they would appoint an independent person to the multi-disciplinary team to ensure an impartial and fair evaluation of your husband’s needs and his eligibility for this type of care. This is, I understand, in line with the Stage 3 recommendation in response to the complaint you had made to the authority via its complaints procedure over the way it had handled your husband’s care.
Resolving the issues over your husband’s care will require trust between all parties and this has clearly been tested and damaged over recent months. I have therefore asked to be kept informed of the progress regarding the provision of your husband’s care.”
The assessment date had been set for the 21st April 2008 but it seems unlikely that this will be able to go ahead unless you are able to clarify this misunderstanding to our mutual satisfaction and that of all parties involved.
I look forward to a speedy written response to these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Siaron West
cc Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Cllr John Dixon, Cardiff County Council
Byron Davies, Chief Executive, Cardiff County Council
Cllr Rodney Berman, Cardiff County Council
Julie Morgan MP, Cardiff North
Edwina Hart AM, Minister for Health & Social Services
Mr John Goodwin, Panel Chair, Independent Complaints Secretariat
Christine Morgan, Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People
Rosa Curling, Leigh Day & Co Solicitors
Jean Hazelwood, Senior Nurse Assessor Cardiff LHB
Brendon Lloyd, Medical Director Cardiff LHB
Dr David Bailey, Chairman GPC Wales
Ms Neelam Bhardwaja, Corporate Director (Social)
Operational Manager
Room 236
Adult Services
County Hall
Cardiff
CF1 4UW
8th April 2008
Dear Sue,
Thank you for your letter dated the 19th January 2008 but which was received on the 22nd March 2008 where you named Jane Williams as the person who has been identified to undertake the role of “independent oversight of the assessment process”.
Jane contacted me last week whilst I was away and I returned her call today.
I explained that I had understood her role to be that which was implied by our telephone conversations of the 29th February & 7th March.
She informed me that she had no prior knowledge of our case and that the remit she had been given by her Operational Manager Ann Linton was simply to observe the process and to write a report at the end of the assessment.
I fear that I may have misunderstood her role as being that recommended by the Independent Complaints Panel in their Stage 3 Report:
“Because of the breakdown of trust is apparent between the complainant and team manager, we think it is unlikely that this impasse can be resolved without mediation by someone appropriately qualified and trusted by the complainant and the authority.
We are of the opinion that an external mediator, experienced in work with social services should be considered to help move from the impasse.
We feel that it should be considered that an assessment of need should be carried out by qualified professional(s) independent of the authority.
Decisions, discussion and outcomes should at all stages be explicit, transparent and recorded, so that the complainant and the authority are clear about actions taken and decisions reached, and their compliance with law and statutory guidance.”
During my conversation with Jane Williams today she explained that she had not been advised that her role was that of mediator and that she was not qualified to act in this way and agreed that what was needed was an experienced and appropriately qualified mediator with the ability to facilitate discussions between the LA and the LHB.
This doesn’t seem to be in line with the communication I have had from Edwina Hart which I have quoted below for your perusal.
“I am advised that your MP, Julie Morgan, has now met with elected members and the Council’s Director of Social Services. In that meeting the authority agreed that, if your husband and you were to agree to a continuing healthcare assessment, they would appoint an independent person to the multi-disciplinary team to ensure an impartial and fair evaluation of your husband’s needs and his eligibility for this type of care. This is, I understand, in line with the Stage 3 recommendation in response to the complaint you had made to the authority via its complaints procedure over the way it had handled your husband’s care.
Resolving the issues over your husband’s care will require trust between all parties and this has clearly been tested and damaged over recent months. I have therefore asked to be kept informed of the progress regarding the provision of your husband’s care.”
The assessment date had been set for the 21st April 2008 but it seems unlikely that this will be able to go ahead unless you are able to clarify this misunderstanding to our mutual satisfaction and that of all parties involved.
I look forward to a speedy written response to these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Siaron West
cc Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Cllr John Dixon, Cardiff County Council
Byron Davies, Chief Executive, Cardiff County Council
Cllr Rodney Berman, Cardiff County Council
Julie Morgan MP, Cardiff North
Edwina Hart AM, Minister for Health & Social Services
Mr John Goodwin, Panel Chair, Independent Complaints Secretariat
Christine Morgan, Cardiff & Vale Coalition of Disabled People
Rosa Curling, Leigh Day & Co Solicitors
Jean Hazelwood, Senior Nurse Assessor Cardiff LHB
Brendon Lloyd, Medical Director Cardiff LHB
Dr David Bailey, Chairman GPC Wales
Ms Neelam Bhardwaja, Corporate Director (Social)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
