Urgent Court of Protection Application help please - worried

NeverEnough

Oh Lozz as a rather disillusioned healthcare professional myself, I am so so sorry yr mum is being treated in the usual couldn't care less way that is so common these days. There are meant to be safeguards against the sort of unacceptable behaviour being meted out to yr mum, but really, they don't always help and its only a long time later that serious incident reviews take place and we get the usual " we are learning lessons" rubbish from the PCT and Local Authority idiots.

I am always shocked that it is often other doctors and nurses meting out such disgraceful treatment to others when they get to lofty positions in PCTs, but then it is often said that doctors, social workers, nurses who are generally clinically useless at their jobs end up in management . Sadly it seems this may be true, given the experience of so many people who are so shabbily treated when they need the care most. Bottom line is all about money, nothing else.

You need to be very strong and tenacious now for your mum - get in contact with your MP urgently. Find the social workers manager / manager of the person responsible for mums placement. Get a reporter from your local paper onto it and even a national daily - make headlines with it. Expose the greedy, callous, incompetent wretches for what they are. Your mum only has you in her last fight - go for it all the way, she deserves nothing less.

Best wishes and be strong.

Newly_retired

I am sorry you have had such difficulties.

It may not be at all helpful or relevant, but my mother died peacefully in hospital after about 3 weeks on the ward.
My one regret is that I did not pay for her to spend her last days in a nursing home where she would have had a little more privacy and dignity.
Not that I am saying she was uncared for or badly looked after on the ward. There was nothing more that could have been done for her. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course.
Apologies if this is not helpful or relevant and feel free to ignore it.
I hope you get something sorted out for your mother very soon.

John_Pierpoint

When my relative went into hospital, I tried and failed to get lasting power of attorney. From the very start the district hospital was making enquiries about the availability of funds.
Roughly speaking the mile stones were:
First 2 weeks - I get relative's solicitor to train himself at our expense on the then new complicated lasting power of attorney procedures, while hospital faces up to the cost of a full body scan to diagnose the problem.
[I have vivid memories of solicitor and "houseman" (?) rowing over who could sign the form that certified that there was still "capacity".
I also had a sensible chat with a young lady "doctor" (?).
- Why is it taking so long to reach a diagnosis - surely the symptoms (so "drunk" he cannot stand or speak) are those of a TIA (mini stroke)?
- Not necessarily, it is unusual but the troublesome squamous skin cancer on his head may have spread ! ]
Weeks 3 - 4 I go on a long booked family holiday
Weeks 5 - 6 The hospital has done a full body scan and found 3 secondary cancers.
At this stage a prognosis of 6 weeks was made [I frankly did not believe it but thought it might be a ploy to get me to finance the "only 6 weeks" and personally thought it might well be 6 months]
However this prognosis allowed the hospital to call on a different budget, intended for short term terminal care.
The hospital had "arrangements" with several nice local (to the patient - I live an hour and a half drive away) nursing homes and it was a matter of a short delay until a bed came available at the most suitable of the three or four possibilities (A short walk from an hourly 6 days a week bus service but 3 miles from the rail station, 4 miles from the patient's home & 10 miles from the hospital.)

The 6 weeks turned out to be accurate given a do not resuscitate situation.

What is your prognosis?

troubleinparadise

Dear Lozz,

I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles with both sorting out the financial and medical/care home aspects of care for your mum.

My mum had the grand total of 10 days palliative care in a nursing home after leaving hospital. Whilst we couldn't know exactly how long she was going to have, we knew it was only a matter of time, but I didn't think that was all it was going to be.

The home was lovely, I'm really glad we got her there, even if it was for such a short time.

I do hope that you get a reasonable outcome very soon.

Lozz

Hi all,

Thank you so much for your messages, yesterday was a very bad day and they cheered me up no end.

I did contact my MP, along with just about everyone else I could think of, but I think breaking down in the hospital was the best thing I did yesterday, there were 4 people involved in Mum's care there at the time. Suffice to say the decision was overturned, Mum has been assessed today and with any luck is going to be transferred to the nursing home tomorrow. From what I've been told I believe various butts have been kicked today, and deservedly so.

Neverenough thank you, the PCT guy refused to acknowledge he knew my mum but sat in the same office with her for years. It's totally unbelievable the way they have treated us, but with some really strong support it looks like we have gotten there in the end. Several high end people have come out today in support of us and it looks like this has paid off.

Newlyretired, I would never ignore anyone who has posted to help me x As Mum has been passed for category 1 continuing care we are not allowed to just place her anywhere and pay for it, added to that we don't have deputyship it's not possible, we cannot afford the weekly fees.

John, the prognosis is weeks maybe months, although they have given Mum steroids to reduce the swelling in the brain and this has brought her back to us in a manner of speaking, her consultant has said her brain is more tumour than brain But the plus factor is she is insisting she is not in any pain, her consultant has said she should be in excruciating pain by now but that isn't happening, thankfully.

Lozz

Hi all,

Mum is going into the nursing home today I have a few queries I wonder if anyone can help with though, she lived in a council property and paid full rent and council tax, I think both are paid until 29th of this month. Obviously she needs to stop paying these but as I don't have deputyship I can't cancel the direct debits. Does anyone know if the council will stop these automatically, or whether she is liable to give notice on her council property (not that she is able to). We are making an appointment to see them next week but wondered if anyone can give me any advice, I'm half expecting to be told to go away as I don't have power of attorney.

I have located the accident plan providers and informed them and been told basically tough, as I'm not my mum they won't cancel it, despite the fact she is unlikely to lose a limb due to an accident in the time she has left. Barclaycard haven't even bothered to get back to me about the £83 they are planning to add to her account for this 3 year protection policy next week.

Any help appreciated as always.

Lozz x

troubleinparadise

Hello Lozz,

Firstly, I'm glad your mum is finally getting to move - be prepared for a bit of a dip with the change of environment, it really does take a bit of getting used to.

I found State and Council departments very easy to deal with (even on the phone) despite not being the person concerned; ie, they certainly would talk to me without POA. Sometimes sorting out the admin and money side took a little longer, but obviously you can prove where your mum has been and where she is going, so that gives you back up with regards to giving notice etc.

Just make sure you keep a diary logging when you made calls and who you spoke to etc so that you can keep track of things, and again have your own back up should things fall into a black hole and not happen as promised.

I'm afraid that other financial institutions do things in their own good time. But try not to worry too much about that. I was able to back claim various monies deducted incorrectly eventually - but it will fall to you to keep track of those and chase them up. (You'll wonder what on earth you used to do with your days before taking on someone else's world).

Hope today goes alright, and that your mum is given lots of TLC...

Lozz

Hi troubleinparadise,

I think that dip has hit us all the last couple of days, I know exactly what you mean. She has a lovely room which we've put as much of her own stuff in as we can, but when all's said and done it's still not her home.

I'm glad to hear you found the relevant departments helpful, I will be giving them a call tomorrow and if I can sort it out over the phone that will be much easier than having to go down there. Barclaycard finally responded and said they will deal with me if I have a letter from her consultant so am going to carry round the COP form the Doctor completed from now on. I will definitely log everything down for backup, I learned that lesson rather quickly lol.

We are definitely giving her lots of TLC, she had 3 visits yesterday and nobody else signed the visitors book in between them :huh:

Thanks for your message, it's reassured me.

Lozz x

Errata

Hope your mum settles, it's a big change in lifestyle as well as accommodation.
My golden tip is confirm in writing everything that was discussed, every decision made, every agreement reached during every telephone call. The final paragraph in letters: if this is incorrect please write to me immediately.

John_Pierpoint

This is not directly relevant at the moment and is based my experience a next of kin to 4 different relatives.

In ascending order of incompetence and sheer bloody mindedness:

Local doctor's office (the nursing home used its own local doctor to certify the "legitimacy" of the death) "No I cannot come back tomorrow, I - phoned and made an appointment before making this 150 mile journey."

"Abbey" (Santander) "I made an appointment so no I don't have to come back tomorrow" I]What's more I've overheard you saying you were hoping to get off early today[/I

Yorkshire Building Society: hide bound by their own procedures - I think it must still be the Henry Ford "one armed man" method of making cars, that is being used.

"Specialist" dementia home matron discussing dying new resident "I'm not going to tell lies to any resident". The logical response to this should have been: "So you are going to stuff her full of drugs, when she realises her assumption that she won't be joined at this nice hotel by her dead husband is incorrect and kicks off ".


British Gas: "I cannot talk to you, you are not the account holder....".... and that is why we are trying to send in the debt collection, bailiffs and plumber to cut off the gas rather than accept your meter reading .......we are only legally required to physically read the meter once every two years how ever wrong our estimate might be". (My italic filling in the facts).

Department of social security (or what ever it is called these days).
"... as far as I am concerned there is only one department, so when you agree what you owe in terms of missing winter fuel allowance, then I will return the attendance allowance you paid weeks after being notified of the death" [They never did and I'm still £20 down:mad::D]

Barclays Bank: Words fail me - though I did blog about it on here at the time.

HMRC: Well it was at the time when the new computer system and cutting the experienced staff, got the department two years or more behind with the reconciliation of income tax.
Warning: it has not improved much in the last two years.
I had to play "piggy in the middle" between the income and capital taxes divisions of HMRC.

I just might be able to make a list of competent organisations - but you remember the pain much longer.

Just assume you are dealing with a 17 year old and this is the first "bereavement" they have handled - try to find out their internal procedures. Don't assume you can write a letter explaining the situation and that you can then ask for more than one action to ve done. Sometimes it is easier to write three letters and take one little step at a time towards your ultimate objective.

BTW: You are now in the situation where there are three addresses. Even when you are clear about the address to use, assume that even if you don't give it, some computer will know an alternative address and reply to your letter at that one.