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Call this listening?
• THE council has agreed to implement changes to the home care service from December 1. These changes include the creation of a re-ablement service designed to save money by only taking people on for up to six weeks.
In the review document, the council has also agreed to proceed with privatisation of the remaining in-house service: “The plan for home care provision in Islington is that all home care will eventually be delivered by external providers.”
The council paid as much as £90,000 to consult residents on parking permit charging arrangements, yet has not bothered to consult a single carer, family member or any of the voluntary organisations that represent them on these major changes to service provision.
Is the council’s view that it consults only those who provide income and not those who they are required to provide a service for, or is it as simple as older people don’t matter?
One of the arguments made by the council is that no one would be against this “improvement” so we don’t need to consult people. The councillors and the director of housing and adult social services should read their own policy as outlined in the council’s Disability Equality Scheme, where it states it will “invite and listen to the views of disabled people when we improve services”.
ANDREW BERRY
Deputy secretary, Islington
Unison
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