Following on from her previous article, Alex Varley-Winter delves further into the impact of budget cuts to vulnerable people on the Isle of Wight. It comes ahead of the stakeholders meeting at the Riverside Centre tomorrow. Ed
Some families of vulnerable Islanders have been advised to suspend seeking direct contact with the Council as they negotiate with social care providers about implementing cuts to Adult Social Care.
Cuts will have an impact
“Parents exerted what I think is their right to advocate on behalf of their children,” said the mother of a man who has severe learning difficulties and needs constant supervision. He faces losing one-to-one care, transport to day care and £126 a week under the Council’s proposals.
She said she now feels intimidated against speaking directly to the Council and uncertain about the future.
Families kept in the dark
“The lack of direct communication we’ve received signifies appalling management from the Council and I think it is abusive, in the sense that we are not being told anything. These are vulnerable people we are talking about.
“We have been living in this unknowing atmosphere for months, not knowing whether day services will continue and whether social service staff will still have jobs. My main worry is the effect that these cuts will have on my son’s life.”
Cuts mean more support from others
Her daughter said: “He likes things to be very ordered. We need to prepare him but nobody knows what will happen or when, so there is this whole mental health aspect that is being ignored. If I have to do more for him, then fine, because I love him, but I might have to change my whole life around.”
She explained that they received a letter in December 09 detailing the potential impact of cuts on her brother’s care, but they had no input in the decision and the questions the family raised remain unanswered.
Three days’ care reduced to one
The letter revealed the dependent’s weekly funds could be reduced by a fifth, while transport and one-to-one care may no longer be provided.
Proposed cuts to his day care allowance would mean that he could only afford one day’s worth of activity, rather than the three days that he currently affords.
Without outside help, his sister predicted he would struggle to dress himself adequately or communicate his needs and would spend most of his time indoors. She is concerned that under the proposed system he does not qualify for a personal budget and that changes to his routine will cause him personal distress.
“The Council is not holding enough public meetings on this,” she said.
Are the council misinterpreting figures?
The man’s father confirmed that he had sent several letters and phoned individuals at the Council, but received no answer for more than a month.
“When I did receive a response, the Council claimed that his support would actually be increased under the proposals, which is not true. I think this was due to mis-interpretation of the figures on their part, rather than deliberate deception, but I have heard nothing since,” he said.
“I was made to feel a nuisance, rather than somebody who is concerned about the future of Social Care on the Island. It is thought that a public meeting will not help our son’s interests at this stage and the Council has not been communicating with us. I am currently hearing everything second hand through his care providers.”
“Our letters have made an impact. We still do not have answers to the questions we raised, but we understand negotiations are in progress.”
“Stakeholders not being shut out”
Cllr Margaret Webster, head of the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel contested that stakeholders were being shut out:
“We had a panel meeting last week that any member of the public could have attended. I have not been hearing from people about this directly, because there is an understanding that they are represented by care workers.”
She directed VB to the director for Adult Social Services for more information and we will bring you more on this story as we have it.
Image: adammirowski under CC BY 2.0
