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
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