Adult Social Services

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1

Has this happened to you?

  • GP make referral to Adult Social Services

  • Social Services make contact by phone, share some generic information and agree to do home visit to discuss care needs/detail

  • Social Worker turns up late with no warning or explanation having booked an appointment at an un-godly hour

  • Social Worker makes token gesture to engage with client and proceeds to discuss care needs in separate room with client’s advocate(s)

  • Asks what help is required and states that this is not needed since client already has suitable equipment that negates the need for extra help

  • Advocate explains that there is more to it than just having a “medical bed” - there is a need to turn the client, change pad etc and being a double-up cared for client one person cannot manage

  • Social Worker insists - no need as the bed (with its magic properties) meets care requirements

  • Advocate explains client is not sleeping as is not comfortable (unable to turn, soiled pad, leaking pad, soiled bed sheets etc.)

  • Social Worker suggests she can talk to GP to see if client can be helped medically (we can all guess what this means)

  • Advocate gets the picture and decides not to waste time as during all of this, the social worker has

  1. Been distracted by her phone
  2. Yawning
  3. Sniffling and various other indicators to suggest lack of interest in case
  4. Refusing to listen - stating care needs already being met
  • Advocate agrees she should contact the GP
  • Social worker asks who GP is
  • When told who GP is, SW states “Oh, this GP never responds to e-mails”
  • Another bad sign
  • Advocate gives up and sees the SW out

Advocate vainly hopes SW might at least contact GP.

One month later, client (me) receives letter with heading “Re: Case Closure”

The letter which is addressed to me, but salutes another client!!, goes on to say “ … the home visit to complete a review of the care needs, in which it was established the current level of care is meeting her daily care needs and she does not require any night support …”

What a shambolic waste of time and money.

This social worker had come with a predetermined outcome and delivered the same.

That is the sorry state of Adult Social Services in this part of the world.

Perhaps you are having better luck with your care needs :slight_smile:

Take care, sleep well.

Pea.

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2

Well, I am lost for words. I would be inclined to complain. Although I am probably not that surprised.

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3

Hi, as someone who works in social care sadly I’m not surprised - I have been asked why I don’t qualify as a social worker. My reply is I have friends and a soul.

Adult teams are not well enough funded and usually stretched with some newly qualified workers who often are under prepared for the job they do, some only there for the professionals salary and not very good at social skills the thing they are tasked to do. That being said they all are managed at local level and have a line manager and if you can get them raise all these concerns with them, I’m in Scotland so know that system better but broadly the same as done cross border work.

I would go back to the GP or call to explain the above and the fact you had an advocate there as a witness should help with this. Your needs have not been met by a statutory body and can be challenged. Ask for another referral and assessment as this has not met your needs in the slightest, you can ask for another worker to do this but they may say only person is the one who did this. Either way you deserve better and clearly need assistance and to get this a proper assessment of need. HTH and good luck

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4

Hi @Pea_WoS So sorry to read of your unbelievable experience with the Adult Social Services in your area.

I am genuinely lost for words but would definitely recommend that you complain, not quite sure who to at this point but this treatment is unacceptable.

Maybe start with your GP who can point you in the right direction at least and hopefully get you a second referral/assessment.
Good luck, I hope you get this sorted soon.

Regards Sue

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My husband is a social worker, I showed him this post and he says you need to make a formal complaint directly, if the SW is with your locql council then you need to make a complaint to them. If it is with an agency you can still make a formal complaint to them, look on their website, it will be there. I am sorry you have been through such hardships. They should be helping you. Please let us know how it goess