Page 6 - Community Living Magazine 32 - 2

letters
Letters

Write to Community Living at simonj@jarr.demon.co.uk. Note: all letters may be edited
Emotional wellbeing and mental health
needs are severely neglected Meader’s view
My sister, who is 54 years old and has
learning disabilities, has had a serious
mental health crisis over the past six
months. This resulted from a threat to
remove sleep-in staff in the supported
service in which she lives.
I’ve decided to share her experiences
because they highlight serious shortcomings
in how the emotional wellbeing and
mental health needs of people with
learning disabilities are considered.
The decision to remove sleep-in staff
appears to be related to the court ruling
from 2017 that care workers should be
paid the national minimum wage for
every hour of a sleep-in shift rather than a
flat rate (although the court of appeal
overruled this in July 2018).
“ She was abandoned

by social care services, so
Eventually, because of the degree of her
we were left to support a telecare alarm button system as an mental health crisis, she was sectioned
alternative to sleep-in staff, which she is
her while trying to access unable to use because she is deaf. and diagnosed with post traumatic stress
From the beginning of 2018, I noticed a
disorder, anxiety and depression. As I
some specialist help ” gradual change in my sister’s usual write, she has spent five months on the
ward, during which time she has
outgoing nature and, by May, her mental
The psychiatrist has proposed using
A year ago, my sister was told sleep-in health took a serious turn for the worse. repeatedly told us she wants “to go home”.
She was admitted to the local general
staff were going to be withdrawn from the hospital to check for physical causes. While section 17 leave for her to return to her
service where she has lived for 11 years. there, she went through an acute mental home, in the hope her recovery will be
As a result, she became very distressed. health crisis and, as a family, we were told hastened once she is back in a familiar
I found out about this only accidentally she could not return home because care environment. I’m waiting for funding to
because I had happened to visit on a staff could not manage her behaviour. be approved to enable her return.
particular day. She was abandoned by social care These experiences demonstrate how
Despite reassurance and support, my services, so we were left to support her crucial it is to prioritise the emotional
sister’s distress continued. She was given while trying to access some specialist help. wellbeing and mental health needs of
people with learning disabilities.
I believe my sister’s crisis could have
been avoided had our concerns about the
Do you know some impact of this change on her mental
‘bloody awesome’ parents? health been taken seriously.
Jane Lloyd
Lancashire
Community Living magazine is proud to announce our
continuing sponsorship of Bringing Us Together’s Bloody Reading our son’s football article was
Awesome Parents (BAPS) awards. thrilling for the whole family
These monthly awards aim to recognise some of the many amazing parents out We just wanted to let you know how
there who make a real difference to their child’s developing life. thrilled our son Matthew was to see his
Some, as we have seen in our own pages, have to battle against huge odds to get article in print in the last issue (“Freedom
their adult son or daughter back into the community. kicks off”, autumn issue, page 18).
We are sponsoring the awards jointly with Choice Support. If you would like to It was fantastic for us as parents too – it
nominate someone, let us know. was “so Matthew” and it felt like we could
Email nominations to Community Living editor Simon Jarrett on simonj@jarr. hear him saying the words as we read it.
demon.co.uk. Thank you so much for letting his voice
See who won the last BAPS award at http://bringingus together.org.uk/ be heard once again.
baps-of-the-month-august-and-september/ Isabelle and Robin Garnett
London

6 Vol 32 No 2 | Winter 2018 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk