Guest Blog - Maria Nash is being victimised - A response by Linda Edwards

By Linda Edwards,

My experience of LB Barnet's Adult Social Care and Health (under Director Kate Kennally) was one of incompetence, contempt, oppressive, bullying and defensiveness.

As a family carer, representing my daughter who has a learning disability and autism, there was little attempt to work with me in partnership according to my daughters needs. The many years of battling with a dictatorial regime that resorts to lies and misrepresentation as a response rather than working on behalf of the disabled persons needs or listening to the family carer made my daughter regress and become depressed and me ill and unable to work.

My daughter's solicitor was forced to threaten a Judicial Review on various occasions when Kate Kennally's department demonstrated they were acting unlawfully.  It is not surprising that Maria Nash has embarked on a Judicial Review.  What is surprising is that more people haven't done this sooner!    

Kate Kennally's Department spent a huge amount of money paying for (biased) 'Independent' Consultants, legal fees and administration in  refusing to change my vulnerable daughter's service, making her deteriorate even further and leaving me with no alternative but to take the case to the Ombudsman. Nick Walkley, then CEO of LBB refused to intervene to prevent further expense. No one at LBB Adult Social Care and Health had any concern about the financial implications for Barnet rate payers throughout my long protracted battle to overturn their insistence on keeping a service that was not fit for purpose, not appropriate to be with vulnerable disabled people and with whom you wouldn't trust to leave your pet with! 

Their emphasis on the financial impact on the rate payers of Barnet in response to Maria Nash's Judicial Review is an attempt to turn the community against Maria Nash's cause. The community will not be fooled, especially when other disabled, vulnerable people and family carers share their stories with everyone!  Very few of us will escape having to rely on Social Care and Health in our life time. This  courageous lady deserves our appreciation and support.
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Linda Edwards is a carer living in the London Borough of Barnet