From Mr John J Sullivan
Father of Susan Tracey Sullivan, along with my wife a
combined 100 years of 24/7 coal face experience in this field.
Dear Sir,
I have now read the so called review and as expected it is a
complete farce , a complete whitewash, a complete cover up. There is absolutely
no intention get to the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth, the route to the truth is via the parents and
family carers of the Your Choice Barnet
( YCB ) clients, and absolutely no attempt has been made to consult with
any of us that have demonstrated concerns from the outset. it is shameful and
totally undemocratic, it highlights the justification for people referring to
Barnet as a democracy free zone. The constant refusal of the council that you
are a prominent member of to engage in open and honest consultation with local
residents. It is more representative of a Stalinist Polit Bureau strategy than that of a supposed
democracy. You are all deaf dumb and blind to the concerns fears and opinions
of Barnet residents, driven by ideology and dogma, and what you think is best
rather than seeking to establish the truth, and what is really best. This so -called
task and finish review is an opportunity missed, why are you Tory councillors
so afraid to face the truth, to face the opinions of the family carers and
parents, people who collectively have hundreds of years of 24/7 experience in
this field, far more than any YCB board member or biased councillor. " WHY
".
My Overall comments on this farcical review.
1, The Review is myopic and is a classic example of how
Barnet council considers evidence then completely ignores it.
2, The five-part terms of reference were obviously written
in a way to ensure the scope of the so-called
"task & finish " review was restricted from the start,
these terms of reference allow not for the exposure of the whole truth, but a
cover up of the reality, which is sadly the Barnet councils way of doing
business, so comes as no surprise.
3, The CADDSS reports prime focus was on two issues-service user/carer
engagement and the YCB financial crisis. the review completely ignored the
evidence on user carer engagement and made no recommendations on this important
issue. So it is business as usual at YCB.
4, The key finding ( Para 4.1) that the " high quality
" is permanent and therefore the only matter of concern is the long term viability of YCB is
financial and will be resolved by cost saving measures and growth. What are
these proposed cost savings ?. This is a damning indictment of Elected members
and YCB management, it is short sighted and narrow-minded, and potentially a danger to the long term well
being of disabled people in Barnet.
5, The Group indentified " customer engagement "
as one of the " challenging areas of performance facing challenges ",
and then listed how the Operational Plan
2013-2014 would address several "challenging areas ". However , the
action list completely ignores " customer engagement ". Which is the
standard double speak many people including myself have grown to expect from
Barnet councillors.
6,The group made absolutely no attempt whatsoever to examine
the potential consequences and impact of the changes in staffing levels and
skills/experience on the quality of service, that will be further impacted upon
with the proposed introduction of the benchmarking decisions due in the near
future. The Group accept YCBs policy and do not even raise concerns or
questions about the impacts, it is absolutely unbelievable. This area coupled
with the long term provision and viability of service provision for our loved ones is one of the main
concerns of parents and carers repeatedly raised by both us and CADDSS, yet
this farcical review just took the word of YCB ignored the opinions of family
carers and moved on, it beggars belief.
7,The financial analysis of YCB merely identifies the
changes in YCBs financial forecast and financial reality once it was
operational, but does not identify the lessons learned. UNISONS reports on the
business case and LATC business plan spelt out the non- sustainability of the
financial forecasts, but these were ignored by Elected members and officers of
the Council at the time. Failure to learn lessons through rigorous and honest
assessment, "which this so-called review does not even attempt" means
the sorry saga will be repeated elsewhere in the council, and at some later
date expose this whitewash of a review as an important opportunity missed.
This review was an opportunity
to get to the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, to ensure the
long term viability of service provision for all YCB clients, and I firmly believe
that truth was ignored. Because it would have established the only serious way
forward for secure long term provision
would be to take all YCB services back
in-house, which was the original undertaking in the event of business failure.
Had this review looked into the financial circumstances of
YCB in greater depth, I believe it would have been established clearly and
without any doubt which is a reality this review was determined to avoid at all
costs. The only way forward to ensure the long term viability and provision of
"high quality support services " for all YCB clients, is for all YCB
services to be brought back in-house The long term future viability of the
provisions of "high Quality " support services for YCB clients is
highly questionable, and therefore represents a real worry for parents and family
carers worried what will happen to their loved ones when they die.This review
could have provided us family carers with the peace of mind we crave, but yet
again right wing ideology and dogma has
won the day.
8, The financial analysis is , in effect, a standstill analysis
that does not consider financial issues beyond the current year. It does not
attempt to identify how the £1million loan will be repaid and other forecasts. My
concern and that of other parents and areas I repeated is regarding the long
term future provision of "high Quality " support services for my
daughter that were secure when service were provided in house. The question is, if the long term future is so
sound so secure, why is no reference made to the vital issue of the financial
stability of YCB beyond this year.
Councillor Rayner , I am going to ask the Barnet Eye to post
this letter as an open letter on the Barnet Eye blog, in order I hope to wake
the residents of Barnet up to the fact, that transparency and honesty along with
democracy no longer exist in Barnet. Most of all to alert people of the
whitewash meeting this Wednesday the 27th November, in the hope they will
attend the meeting to defend the disabled folk of Barnet , that this
ideological and dogmatic council have no real intention of doing.
Councillor Rayner you chastised me for condemning this
review before the report was made public, sadly
my fears have been confirmed, this review was never meant to seek the
truth, because the truth is that in-house provision of services for all YCB
clients, is the only secure way forward, subjecting these vulnerable folk to
the vagaries of the market place on a highly questionable and risky business
plan, is immoral and plain wrong.
I appeal to the people of Barnet to attend the so called
Safeguarding Committee meeting at the Town hall this Wednesday 27th ,before we
experience our own Winterbourne View in Barnet.
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