When do you stop being responsible and accountable
17 November 2020
Over the course of the last few weeks, I have had an incredibly eye-opening experience. I lived in my COVID bubble for too long and forgot how the Health and Social Care Sector operated pre-COVID.
We received the rudest response from a set of relatives – the email that went out was complemented by almost everyone else, but this family chose to tell us, amongst other things, that they didn’t care how hard our staff worked and why did we keep referring to this.
The situation resulted in our having to say that we just could not work with this family and that they had to find another home for their mother. I can count on one hand the number of cases where this has happened in the last 20 years – these types of episodes stay with you
It was a clear breakdown in the relationship. The response from Newport Social Services – they washed their hands of it. “This is between you and the family and it is not our place to intervene”
Bearing in mind they refer to themselves as “partners” in the Health and Social Care System” this was not what we expect of them. Yes we do have expectations of Social Services
Unfortunately, it got worse, email after email, it became clear that they just don’t care. There it is,. I said it. I think there is a real problem with values in that department,.
The “compliant” meeting was the icing on the cake. Stone-faced, no apology, not even room for any suggestion that they could or should have acted differently.
A serious lack of knowledge about the people involved – the home staff, or the person in care, or the family.
“Person Centred” obviously hasn’t meant much to this social services department.
I recorded the interaction as I felt it was so bad. The official response – no apology for the clear poor management of the issue. An instruction not to share the video further. Brushing the issue under the carpet is not going to create change. Change is what is needed, so the video is now on Youtube
In so many ways COVID has brought so many of us together, inspired us to look after and protect each other. Newport Social Services clearly didn’t get the memo.