27 | July | 2015 | mydaftlife

The CQC published a chilling review of a Mencap run ‘service’, Precinct Road in Hillingdon, on Friday. Yep. Mencap. Documenting so much so wrong I can’t summarise it here. A series of human wrongs.

This went under the radar until Mark Neary came across it this morning and started to tweet about it. A teeny tiny (anti) press release was eventually published later today stating very woodenly;

Mencap takes very seriously any requirements and recommendations on how to improve the quality of support we provide. After a recent CQC inspection of Precinct Road in Middlesex we have apologised fully to the people we support and their families.

We have taken immediate steps and great care to fully address the actions outlined by the CQC’s requirements and recommendations. Our procedures and environment at Precinct Road have improved as a result.

Mencap is committed to ensuring that we offer the highest quality care to enable people with a learning disability to live the lives they choose to live.

This was missing the hallmarks of a typical Mencap press release; speed and a grandiose statement by the Chief Exec – usually in cahoots with the CEO of the Challenging Behaviour Foundation – ‘calling upon the government’ to do diddly squat. (Ensuring their continued seats at any table, breakfast or otherwise, where endless, pointless but costly discussions about the provision of services can be chewed over a doughnut or ten). Oh, and no link to the CQC report. Breathtaking.

I’m left thinking… Mencap (or Menace as my autocorrect keeps calling them):

How could you possibly be required to improve the services you provide given you are the (self proclaimed) ‘leading voice of learning disability’? With the £b?/millions you have at hand?
Why did it take a CQC report to make you act at Precinct Road when it’s clear from the CQC report that the problems identified were apparent for several months?
Why have you only apologised to the four people who ‘live’ at Precinct Road and their families? Surely you should issue a wider apology. To all those you ‘support’ and those who fundraise and volunteer for you?
How you can possibly say you are committed to ensuring you offer the highest quality care to enable people with a learning disability to live the lives they choose to live… when you don’t?
And finally. Are you a provider or a campaigning charity? Because you clearly can’t be both.

Went to a do yesterday that involved Rajan, the Magic Man. He’s a sleight of hand master. Funny old credentials but he was pretty impressive and entertaining. One of only 200 members of the inner magic circle apparently. A group that meet each Monday somewhere in Euston to share stuff they can only talk about with each other. Bit like academics but in bigger numbers.

I was struck by how Rajan’s performance contrasted with how Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and Southern NHS Health Foundation Trust (Sloven) have behaved over the past two years in relation to what happened to LB. SlovOCC have consistently tried to distract attention from what happened. Using various sneaky practices including non-disclosure of documents. Categorising something as nothing, nothing as something. And smear tactics… Rajan used a combination of skill, experience, humour and charm. And a fair few cheesy jokes to disarm, distract, entertain and puzzle. SlovOCC have no finesse with their ‘trickery’. Instead they seem to draw on a bullying and/or incompetence combo.

This morning another red flagged email arrived at 9am from OCC. My subject access request from May had been, er, ignored due to an “oversight” and the deadline (today) had expired. It will now take another month. Eh? I had to hand in my driving licence and a £10.00 cheque back in May. The driving licence was sent back to me in the post and start date for the request logged as June 2nd. How the hell could it then go missing?

The Director of Social Care has launched an investigation apparently. Almost hilarious as always, though of course it ain’t. He’s informed us of this investigation. Unlike the original investigation that sparked the subject access request. I’m baffled as to how this latest sight of hand example hasn’t pushed a few warning bells that maybe crapola practices are alive and kicking within SlovOCC. But nothing seems to do that.