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Concerned that the assessment process isn’t meeting all need...

Posted By flutefm95

"Concerned that the assessment process isn’t meeting all needs"

About: Adult Health & Support Services / Occupational Therapy

(as a service user),

I’m not one to ask for help in the first place, it took a lot of courage to ask for help and support. I have a disability and am classed as disabled.

My housing association organised for an OT assessment due to my difficulties and struggles with washing. I am unable to have a full body wash, so they organized the assessment as they advised that they had funding put aside for this sort of thing.

I discussed with the OT themselves in detail how some equipment could help assist me, the full consensus was that it would not help me to fully wash. It was highly emphasised to me that washing your hair is not being assessed as a substantial need. I explained that this made me feel unable to see people if I can’t wash my hair. This emotionally impacts me and I already feel isolated. I’d like to emphasise that my OT who carried out my assessment agreed that I need adaptations I to fully wash.

I raised my concerns about this and was told that the funding is there but I should not have been told about this. I feel like a nuisance, I feel exhausted and in tears and embarrassed that I’ve spoken out at all. I have concerns that the assessment process isn’t meeting all needs. As a health professional I know that what I’m reading and what is being published is not meeting that criteria.

My housing association have been fantastic and have tried their best to speak with the OT assessment team to access this funding for this purpose but without the OT saying the adaptations are required they can’t access the funding to put a shower in. I’ve relayed this back to the OT who has said that they are not allowed to suggest anything outside of equipment and therefore the funding cannot be accessed.

As a health professional it concerns me that home assessments don’t appear to be holistic as the government guidelines state they should be and no holistic health assessments are being carried out. I would like for higher management to be made aware of this.

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Responses

Response from Roger Kincaid, Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT, SLUHSCP 2 weeks ago
Roger Kincaid
Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT,
SLUHSCP

Submitted on 14/04/2024 at 17:28
Published on Care Opinion on 15/04/2024 at 09:39

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I regret however that it does not appear to be have been satisfactory at this point.

Whilst it is not clear from your post which locality service / team/ worker may have advised you, if as you state an OT has carried out your assessment and agreed your need for an adaptation to fully wash, then the matter of prioritised provision should be one for your Housing association to make upon receipt of that recommendation.

Please do not add any personal details on this post but if you could send an e-mail to me at roger.kincaid@southlanarkshire.gov.uk with your contact and address details, I will follow matters up and get an informed response back to you this week.

Hope that this helps for now.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by flutefm95 (a service user)

The OT said they are not allowed to include Adaptations within their assessment.

Their assessment can only look to see if individuals need equipment.

I cannot find the assessment tool being used as this does not reflect the guidelines/policies on their website.

The OT said washing my hair is not an essential need but I believe I should be allowed to feel as clean as an able bodied person.

I've discussed this with disability charities and they have cited the guidelines and policies in regards to human rights, equity and inclusion. I asked the complaint team to contact me by telephone to prevent a stage one complaint but unfortunately after no response for 6 days, I had to raise a formal complaint.

I have pleaded this be carried out with the urgency it requires as each day there is a delay, I am unable to wash safely. I feel exhausted with the process and the lack of care and compassion has reduced me to tears.

Surely it us cheaper to install an overhead shower when replacing the bath instead of requiring a wet room later. My disease is progressive.

I, however can only go forward with my personal complaint. Can I please ask you to look at what types of home needs assessments are being carried out for other's? My assessment did not meet the criteria set by the local government and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, and the assessment tool being used is not in the public domain.

I worry for other vulnerable individuals. The occupational therapists have a professional obligation to help vulnerable adults like me. What happened to 'enabling disabled people to live as independently as they can'

My housing association have funding readily available but cannot access this without the OT stating I'm worthy, to a full body wash.

When I asked the OT to include this in their report to allow access to the funding, they're response was that they are not allowed to include adaptations within their assessment and that washing my hair is not an essential need. I feel isolated enough and this has made feel I'm not worthy of help. My housing association have exhausted all avenues and so have I.

I cannot understand why the professionals involved are not challenging this on behalf of the vulnerable adults they are leaving without some basic needs being met.

Feeling clean and having a full body wash in a safe environment is surely something I believe I deserve.

Unfortunately not, instead I feel ashamed for admitting my incapability's and struggles.

Response from Roger Kincaid, Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT, SLUHSCP 2 weeks ago
Roger Kincaid
Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT,
SLUHSCP

Submitted on 16/04/2024 at 12:44
Published on Care Opinion at 13:22

Thank you for the further information which along with the e-mails that you have sent to me and our subsequent telephone conversation, ensures that your views on your experience to date are known and are clearly unacceptable at this point.

As we have discussed, the locality operational manager is also now involved and aside from them overseeing the further actions needed, they will have a formal reply made to your stage 1 complaint and remain available for you to contact as I will if needed.

Hope that this once more helps for now.

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Update posted by flutefm95 (a service user)

I greatly appreciate your call Roger. I had written and posted this response before you phoned me and so I'm sorry if it appears as though my gratitude was not sincere. I did email to let you know I had responded in the forum as I was worried and tried to emphasise my response here does NOT reflect you, but instead the experience before you offered to get involved in my case. I felt you deserved that courtesy. I joined and posted in this forum in the hope someone might listen and help. You know I was surprised when you called but appreciative.

This has been a lonely process and so I'm sure you can understand, for you to take the time to talk and listen, meant more than I can say. I am truly grateful for that.

I even said I wish we had chatted weeks ago as then none of this would have been needed. I appreciate my views are now known but I need to emphasise my intention has never been to duplicate and post unnecessary information to upset anyone. I'm not a natural complainant, in fact, this is the first time I've felt the need to.

I truly meant everything I said during our call and felt reassured when you said you'd help me by getting involved in this complicated process going forward. I really hope once you read, I replied before our conversation, you'll see I'm not being disingenuous in my appreciation and the information was posted in desperation if I'm honest. No one else would talk or consider listening before you called. I felt powerless until I spoke to you but when I heard how passionate you are about your role, I felt relieved for the first time. I continue to really need your help and I hope this makes sense.

Response from Roger Kincaid, Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT, SLUHSCP 2 weeks ago
Roger Kincaid
Occupational therapy and Sensory support manager, OT,
SLUHSCP

Submitted on 18/04/2024 at 09:44
Published on Care Opinion at 10:57

It is great to hear that you too have found some benefit from our contact and have some increased reassurance that your genuine concerns can and will be addressed, through the advised and agreed further actions. I know that it can take a lot for some people to have the courage and confidence to speak up and we would hope that our staff also feel able to promote and protect people's interests at all times through their involvement. While we await on the outcome of the actions, you will know from my further e-mail that I will check back in with you once more tomorrow to clarify where we are with things then. Just as your own genuineness and appreciation is accepted and welcomed, I hope that you too will know that we are similarly genuine and appreciative of the chance to get things right for you now. We are also keen to gain any learning that we need to take from this experience and as such we will take steps to ensure that we do so.

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