Reporting 'flawed'

Much of what you said was not only inaccurate, but also irresponsible and likely to lead to a great deal of upset and confusion for many people.

You implied that social workers chose to place people in residential homes because it was a cheaper option than a placement in a nursing home. However, the decision is ultimately made upon recommendation from medical staff and this was not mentioned in your somewhat-blinkered article.

Last May, a close relative of mine was taken very ill and was no longer able to care for herself at home. As this was a situation I had never faced before, it was naturally quite daunting for me to sort out, but I contacted the local social services department for help and advice.

My aunt was sympathetically assessed by a social worker, who felt that she needed to be in a more secure environment and that she would require to be in nursing care rather than a residential home or sheltered accommodation.

However, the social worker told me she had to abide by the results of a nursing assessment carried out by staff at Queen's Park Hospital before a suitable home could be found. This, I understand, is the standard procedure for admissions to nursing homes.

An assessment was carried out at the hospital and my aunt met the criteria for nursing care. She was moved by ambulance from hospital to a home in Fleetwood, where she could be nearer to other relatives and a close friend.

Unfortunately, my aunt has since passed away, but I would like to think that the quality of life she had in her remaining months was as high as it could have been under the circumstances. I would also like to add that the assistance she was given from social services was first-rate and I cannot thank them enough for all that was done for her over the years. Such cases would never get a mention in your paper as it habitually attacks all public services, especially social services and hospitals, and often does so without justification or any proper investigation.

It really is time you invested in new reporting staff or better training for the misinformed hacks you already employ. Your reporting is flawed, your attitude is both hostile and irresponsible, while your 'facts' would be laughable, were the subject matter not so serious.

The recent events at St Emmanuel's and other homes are indeed tragic, but surely this is the inevitable outcome of a caring industry dominated by the highs and lows of the free market. If nursing care was funded by the NHS and within an organised national structure, maybe events like the hurried closure of St Emmanuel's could be avoided in the future.

HOWARD PEARSON, Whalley Old Road, Blackburn.

Footnote: Unlike this correspondent, we do not think it is irresponsible to be concerned at the 'tragic' effects of five East Lancashire nursing homes getting into financial difficulty - not when the consequences have involved great distress among the elderly residents of two that closed and the alleged accelerated early death of three of them.

What we want to know - and the authorities to find out - is whether such events are avoidable or whether they are being generated, not by the highs and lows of a neutral free market, but by a budget-constrained policy that harms not only the viability of nursing homes, but also the lives of those in the ones that are presently going broke at the rate of one a fortnight in our region - Editor.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.