Don't Cut Us Out - Speaking out for the Vulnerable across West Sussex

Don’t Cut Us Out update:

 

WSCC rated one of the worst Councils in England for care support –       

Judicial review. –    

Tele-care Appeal –       

Free booklet –

The carers guide to surviving the reassessment process –    

Workshops for carers preparing for reassessments  It’s Official – WSCC rated one of the worst Councils in England for care support to disabled and elderly.  

West Sussex County Council has been ranked 143 out of 152 Councils in England for the lack of care it provides to the disabled and elderly.  The survey, carried out by DEMOS, in independent think-tank has marked each Council on six critical elements and has rated WSCC’s cuts as ‘VERY HIGH’ and its coping level as ‘BAD’

In the survey, WSCC’s record on care came out particularly badly:

1. -19.51 per cent budget reduction to older people’s care and support
2. -7.56 per cent budget reduction to adult care and support
3. -3.52 per cent budget reduction to disabled children and families’ care and support

The Report highlights the fact that West Sussex is increasing the cost of meals at day centre services by 23.5 per cent and has raised the eligibility for care service from a lower ‘moderate’ level, to the higher ‘substantial’ and ‘critical’ levels of need. Further, WSCC is now deducting 15 per cent of the amount of a personal budget before giving it to a person with mental health needs. Personal budgets are cash payments that can be given to disabled people who are eligible for care and support services to buy their own services, rather than have them provided by the Council.

The total coping score is made up of 6 elements.

1. Changes to social care budgets for children, adults and older people between 2010/11 and 2011/12
2. Average changes in user charges for a range of disability services including transport, community meals, respite etc. between 2010/11 and 2011/12
3. The care contribution policy put in place – how the local authority takes disability related benefits into account when calculating the amount people have to contribute to their social care funding
4. The level of efficiency reduction placed on personal budgets (which can make personal budgets lower than the cash equivalent of the care people would receive directly from their council)
5. The current eligibility criteria for state funded social care in the local authority (low, moderate, substantial or critical needs)
6. Any changes in eligibility criteria between 2010/11 and 2011/12

The point scores from each of these areas were combined to give an overall score out of 100, and local authorities were ranked accordingly
The survey was commissioned by SCOPETo compare other Councils in England and Wales go to: 
 http://disability-cuts-map.demos.co.uk/
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Don’t Cut Us Out withdraw call for Judicial Review in favour of mediation with WSCC.

The Don’t Cut Us Out campaign has withdrawn proceedings against West Sussex County Council for a Judicial Review to test the legality of Council cuts in care support for the elderly and those with learning disabilities. This follows the Council’s late offer to mediate over the five test cases brought on behalf of 4,500 adults across the County who are expected to lose all care support from the Council. WSCC has also agreed to engage with the Campaign and Don’t Cut Us Out campaigners will endeavour to use this dialogue to signpost to the Council, ways to improve WSCC’s lamentable low standing for care support in national league tables.
As a result of this mediation, four of the ‘Famous Five’ have been reassessed as either ‘substantial’ or ‘critical’ and will retain their care support packages. The other, 55 year-old Ron Mawson from Chichester was assessed as having only ‘moderate’ needs relating to his learning disabilities and has lost all his care support. The Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign will now monitor his case closely and alert the Council if, as we expect, his situation deteriorates.
The outcome of these five test cases will now serve as a precedent to support the cases of 4,500 other adults within the County still threatened by cuts to their care support The Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign is keen to hear from anyone threatened by these Council cuts in care support.  They can visit www.dontcutusout.cor.uk or call 07768 395719
Case studies

 Patrick Smythe (46) from Worthing

PS, who has attended Ferring Country Centre for 12 years, has  been reassessed as having substantial needs relating to his learning disabilities.  He currently lives at home, and had he lost his care support, this would have impacted severely on his widowed mother. Staff support at Ferring enables Patrick Smythe to work in the riding stables within the Country Centre and access work experience opportunities. Patrick is cheerful and helpful but needs continuous guidance, help and motivation. Like so many disabled people across the County, he became very worried about losing his Council care support and with it, his day care support, and this stress also impacted on his family. “I found the assessment process annoying and upsetting. I want to work and didn’t want to lose my place at Ferring. It was really hard waiting to hear the outcome.” Says PS 
Martin Hunt, (40) from Worthing 

Martin Hunt has been attending the Ferring Country Centre for 19 years. He too has been reassessed to have ‘substantial’ needs’ relating to his learning disabilities and lives at home with his widowed mother. His basic communication and limited life skills leaves Martin struggling with such things as buying groceries and reading letters. Had he lost his day care support, Martin would have also lost all outside support and his social networks.  

“I was worried waiting for the final OK, but now feel very relieved and looking forward to the future and possibility of moving out of home to live with my girlfriend.” Says MH. His mother AH, adds. “I do hope that the publicity surrounding these cuts in care support, and the legal challenge we made, will now help other people in similar situations.”
Paul Ford, aged 27 from Bognor Regis. 

Paul has cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. He has been attending the Aldingbourne Country Centre at Fontwell since November 2010. Despite having great difficulties with mobility, cutting up his food and looking after his skin (he also suffers badly from eczema)  Paul was advised at an early stage that he was likely to lose all his care support,

During his reassessment, the social worker was surprised by the level of support Paul requires, and as a result, his assessed level of disability moved from moderate to critical. As a result, he will continue to attend the Aldingbourne Country Centre.  However, Paul’s contribution towards his support has increased from £65 to £80 per month.  Paul’s Father,  Michael Ford, is trying to keep the costs to social services down, by providing transport and offering to continue to support Paul if he finds a suitable place to live independently.
Andrew Pickthall, aged 33 from Bognor Regis. Andrew has Downs Syndrome. He has been attending the Aldingbourne Country Centre at Fontwell since he was 18. He attends the Centre 4 days a week and lives independently in a 1- bedroom flat in Bognor with care support provided by the Aldingbourne Trust. He too has been reassessed as ‘substantial’ and now retains all his care support from the Council. Andrew says:  I was very worried, because if I had lost my care support, I would have also lost my flat. Aldingbourne has become my family…it is my life. This is where all my friends are. The staff are always there to help and guide me. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I had lost my place there.”
Ron Mawson, aged 55 from Chichester Ron, who has learning disabilities, has been supported by the Apuldram Centre near Chichester for 15 years and lives in a 1-bedroom flat in Chichester, also supported by Apuldram.  Despite having no family support,  and little understanding of financial matters, he has been reassessed as having only moderate needs. As a result, Ron has lost his day care at the Apuldram Centre, the social network this provides, and the 10 hours of support he was receiving each week, has been reduced to two, thanks to separate funding package organised by Apuldram. Before falling under the supportive wing of this Chichester based centre, Ron had been in crisis with his finances and tenancy and the utility companies had been on the verge of cutting him off, and this carers fear that his situation will soon spiral back. Ron’s situation is typical of many others in the County who must now face the future without Council care. Cllr Peter Catchpole, the Cabinet Member responsible for Adult’s Services promises that the Council will be ‘signposting’  people like Ron to alternative services within the voluntary sector to maintain their wellbeing, and the Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign will monitor the success or failure of this programme very carefully. Attached: Photo of  Patrick Smythe, Martin Hunt, Andrew Pickthall, Paul Ford and Ron Mawson ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tele-care Appeal 

In a recent Freedom of Information response, West Sussex County Council confirmed that those receiving care support are able to reclaim the cost of 24 hour tele-care alarm support. Yet WSCC Financial Services have been declining these claims.

The FOI response reads:

Currently WSCC funds the cost of telephone rental for a number of individuals who live on their own and where this is deemed necessary for them to maintain contact.  We expect to continue this essential means of making contact for customers who are eligible for social care.  If a customer who is eligible for social care services has any form of tele-care including a community alarm, the costs will be viewed as Disability Related Expenditure and taken into account when calculating the contribution.

The Don’t Cut Us Out campaign has lodged an appeal against the WSCC Financial Services ruling, siting the 24hr tele-care alarm service operated by The Aldingbourne Trust, and Apuldram Centres and other care support services provide a vital service for people with learning difficulties in particular and believe this should be allowed as disability related expenditure.

Don’t Cut Us out have highlighted  particular incidents when the ‘on call’ service has been essential to those with learning disabilities:

1. A woman used emotional blackmail – bursting into tears and telling AP that she needed his help – to extract money on false pretences.  She and her boyfriend would then escort AP to the nearest ATM machine and get him to draw £50 out. This happened on 5 occasions before AP telephoned to question if this was OK.

2. Two clients who attend Aldingbourne Country Centre, went to the local pub for a drink and were befriended by an elderly gentleman.  He insisted on walking back to their flat with them at the end of the evening, and once inside began to sexually assault them. One of the disabled clients had the presence of mind to escape the flat, lock the door and telephone for help. 

3. Vulnerable adults living on benefit support in the Bognor  area have been ‘befriended’  by people who, once they know when they go shopping, then go round and help themselves to their food supplies.

These care support services are vital to many people with learning disabilities in West Sussex, and judging from the recent Freedom of Information Response, the Don’t Cut Us Out campaign believe that this  access to telephone support should be included as disability related expenditure.

The appeal was made on August 5, and we still await a response from the Council.

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Workshops for carers preparing for reassessments As part of the Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign’s ongoing support for the vulnerable across the West Sussex, we are working with the Carers Support Service which has organized a number of information workshops. The next one is to be held at the Bersted Green Learning Centre Hazel Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 9DZB starting at 10:00am of September 22, The workshops plan to help carers prepare for the reassessment process and have already benefited many participants. Full details are posted on www.dontcutusout.org.uk ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
Free booklet – The carers guide to surviving the reassessment process. The Council’s reassessment process, which can take between 3-5 hours to complete, is both complex and taxing for all concerned.  The Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign has published a booklet aimed at helping carers  prepare for the assessment and provide them with the information needed to maximise available support. The booklet can be downloaded directly from www.dontcutusout.org.uk

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