A Family Story,

The following story alas is one of so many. The failures of CQC and Safeguarding are clearly apparent yet again.

“My 91 year old vulnerable father who has complicated high level
need dementia with stroke and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia who for
his own safety is subject to a Deprivation of Liberty safeguard
has been at his current private Nursing home since Oct 2015. I his
former main carer daughter (registered nurse 35 years’ experience)
witnessed irregularities at his care home which gave rise to
safeguarding concerns. My father has lost mental capacity for
safety and well-being and cannot advocate for his own safety. I
initially raised the concerns verbally with the home but they
reacted and responded defensively to those concerns being raised.

Because the irregularities were not isolated incidents and were
medication safety and mal administration, in addition to non
compliance and poor compliance with advice given relating to
my father’s swallow impairment (leaving him potentially at risk of
choke/aspiration), I escalated my concerns to my father’s then
social worker. She initiated the first of 3 safeguarding referrals
relating to this same issue. In line with my father’s dols
assessments I also informed my father’s dols assessor what I
witnessed at his 6 monthly review as there was still no resolution. I was
threatened by one of the owner proprietors that if I continued to
raise concerns my father would be served notice on and
subsequently in August 2016 my father was served a month’s notice
in writing by the Director. I was unaware of this and visited my
father the day prior to receiving the formal letter and was called
into the office of the Director soon after my arrival to visit my
dad to be abruptly informed that because I had been complaining to
multiple disciplines my father had been served notice on. I
attempted to reason with the Director by clarifying that I had
spoken to the social worker as the incidents were not isolated
incidents and they were despite having spoken to the sisters in
charge at the time of the incidents. Only in line with my father’s
dols assessments had I spoken to the assessors about my concerns.
I at the time felt I had no alternative but to offer an AGAPE
compromise of myself on behalf of my father and the Director
excluded me from in home visitation rights to my father in
exchange for retracting his eviction notice. I reiterate I only
did this in view of the severity of my father’s dementia and the
detrimental impact that another move would have on his cognition
orientation and ability to navigate his environment. I was appalled
that notice would or could be served on a man subject to a dol
safeguard? At the time I spoke to the director I told him what he
was doing was unlawful and bordered on non-ethical and amoral. I
and my father’s dols assessor subsequently but on the same day
independently of each other’s awareness at that time contacted the
cqc. I only agreed to come out of anonymity as absolute
assurances were given that my father would not again be served
notice on if I shared with them my concerns to date. Sadly these
assurances were NOT upheld and my father was served formal notice
on again and I have now been excluded from in home visits to my
father for 2 years of the nearly 3 years my father has been there.
A section 21a – supposedly initiated by a MCA independent advocate
and used as the means via which the care home and agencies would
scapegoat me the concerned daughter by restricting
me to offsite away from the home contact with my dad. Allegedly
my father was requesting to be returned home? – After 20 months in
care?? He had never indicated this to any of his children! But all
I know is that since I have been excluded – I have witnessed
marked deterioration in my father, physically psychologically and
emotionally. I and he are deprived of our human rights and liberty
to a private family life and I have been made the subject of a
contact order away from the nursing home with dad. I have gone
from visiting him 3-4 times a week in his home to not at all.
Currently see him weekly which is not enough and when he is more
unwell or has fallen which is often sadly I may not not see him
for up to 14 days at a time. This is an intolerable and
distressing situation for us both as my dad is now on chemotherapy
and markedly deteriorating. There is no review of the order
despite my request to evoke a part 8 review of dols because my
dad’s health is deteriorating. In the event of my father’s sudden
collapse or deterioration there is no plan in place to facilitate
my need to be with my dad and his need to have me be in
attendance. This is an unbearable scenario/situation to have to
contemplate!

Another issue I wish to raise is that the family home was sold to
pay back to council deferred costs. All my father’s care costs to
date self-funded. He has been paying 875 per week for a so called
residential bed. The care homes website states 600 for nursing bed
(which I presume is the price the council pay as the contracted
price) so what has my father been paying for exactly?? He has
been cross subsidising – by paying way over the council contracted
price, and has to date spent over 140 k on care. Where is the so
called total care cost cap?
He has also been made to pay for 12 months for incontinent pads that
further to his continent assessment should be NHS funded.
I also need to inform you that he was declined chc funding in Jan
2016 and has not been reassessed for chc for 2 years! Why? This I
know to be wrong as the Care Act 2014 states it is the
individual’s right to be chc assessed at least annually, and most
certainly when he deteriorated requiring chemotherapy in Nov 2017.
Only because of my persistence and insistence to his social worker
– was he finally reassessed for chc funding assistance in Jan 2018
– only to be declined a second time!

I uphold my father to have fulfilled criteria for FULL CHC for a
very considerable time now but there are in my view financial
disincentives at play both at private nursing homes that look to
gain financially from the “self-funders” who pay on average an
extra 37-40 % over the council contracted price – and for what!
Threats of notice, exclusion and quite frankly stress by the
bucket load for families who are at the mercy of this totally
unregulated and law unto itself private care home sector.

I also speak from my own personal experience and can tell you that
all adult social care agencies and the cqc are complicit in their
condonement of reprisal eviction and exclusion and involvement in
cover ups, relating to safeguarding concerns raised .
I am a concerned family member who witnessed and reported
safeguarding concerns to those I trusted would ACT. I have been
scapegoated and subjected to indifference and disempowerment as
former main carer for my dad ever since. I find myself
excluded /restricted/banned and feeling victimised and powerless
to advocate for my own very vulnerable father sadly. However
vindicated in that my conscious is clear for having acted in line
with my duty of care and candour both as a daughter former main
carer and as a now retired children’s nurse and matron.”