Finding a good private OT, & any other help with my homelessness, abuse & care crisis?

ouch_it_hurts · August 30

Hi everyone this is my first post. I am in a very difficult position, I have been made homeless from domestic abuse, I have been under adult social care for my disabilities for multiple years although my local authority has not been following basic procedures properly or providing what I need. The housing department of my local authority has not been following homeless or re-housing procedures correctly either, and I also rely heavily on NHS- having to go to hospital appointments on the regular and managing the background admin for it like a full-time job, but I am struggling to navigate it and get the care I need there also.

There has been a lack of join-up between all services involved even though the problems very much cross over. For example social services & NHS have been rejecting to deal with many things, saying it is the remit of the other agency. And the local authority services are trying to do their parts in isolation from each other- but social services can’t give me the right provisions if they ignore that I am not housed appropriately and still suffering some abuse, and the housing services can’t house me appropriately if they don’t understand aspects of my conditions, disabilities and social care needs.

I’ve been told by a local disability action charity that in terms of rehousing, the local authority should have first given me an OT assessment to understand my complex suitability needs, and then started offering permanent properties to fit those needs. I’ve needed an OT assessment for years as part of my medical & social care, but it has never been arranged. I am now being offered a permanent property, that I can already see in unsuitable in some aspects, being told by the local authority that it is suitable as they have decided it so, and that they won’t offer me anywhere else if I turn it down. However they only know about some of the suitability needs I have been able to recognise myself and tell them about. And they have made it really hard for me to tell them even those things. They haven’t followed the procedure they’re supposed to have done with OT.

A new social worker has apparently referred for OT as part of a social care act reassessment, but I haven’t heard anything back from them in over a month. I am also concerned that even if it does go ahead, it will be used for the social care and not the housing department processes because they keep everything separate. I called the local authority OT department and talked to a duty worker, who seemed dumbfounded that an OT assessment would have anything to do with rehousing or look at anything other than home adaptations. This makes me seriously worried about the competence of their OT workers and OT assessments. A low level of competence is definitely in keeping with everything else I have experienced from my local authority over the past 15 years. I’m concerned that a local authority OT assessment might actually hinder my case for getting my suitability needs met if they do a really bad assessment and I end up with an official document that misses out many of my needs. Or even says I don’t need specific things that I do in fact need.

This is making me consider getting a private OT assessment instead of relying on the flaky local council. While I don’t have the financial means to sustainably pay rent to live anywhere, I have enough and am willing to spend a big lump sum on something as important as this to get myself into a situation where I can start rebuilding my life. I absolutely cannot do that if I don’t get into suitable housing and get a proper support package in place. But I have no idea how to go about finding an appropriate or reliable private OT for my situation.

Can anybody help in any way? Any recommendations of a good private OT (I am in London if that helps), or advice on how to find one, or whether this is actually something that would work and be considered by my local authority? Or any other advice about my situation and other options I might be able to take to get out of this crisis, I would greatly appreciate. I’m trying my hardest to get out of this but I am exhausted.

Luchia · August 30

Hey

You need to contact your council housing department and make sure they will accept a Private OT assessment as I know a lot of them don’t recognise assessments that are done outside of their system, Best to check as it would be a lot of money wasted if they refuse to accept it and insist on their own OT Assessment only

Rachel_Scope · August 31

Hi @ouch_it_hurts. Your situation sounds so difficult and I'm sorry you're going through this. Are you in some type of temporary housing currently? It's my understanding that OT assessments are done in your home and then adjustments can be made to make it suitable for you. I'm wondering if they are planning on doing the OT assessment after you've moved into a permanent house and make adaptations from there. I'm not overly familiar with the process so I may be wrong. Just wanted to offer an alternative explanation.

Have you considered filing a complaint against the housing department and adult social care?

ouch_it_hurts · August 31

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/904459#Comment_904459

Hi Lucia,

Good point- I'll reach out to them and ask. A problem I've been having is they keep not responding to any queries I have and if I get them on the phone they just argue and deflect from whatever information I'm requesting. They do the same ignoring contact from any service I manage to get advocacy from too. Every request I make to them is a several- month long ordeal!

ouch_it_hurts · September 1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/904804#Comment_904804

Hello, on paper I'm in temporary housing although in reality it's so unsuitable I can't eat sleep, wash or use the toilet properly there and it makes me extra ill, so I stay there sporadically and consider myself no fixed abode.

What I've been told about OT assessment being done before being offered perminent properties makes sense because I don't just have needs with home adaptation- a lot of it is about the kind of property, location of the property etc, which is included in the hollistic nature of OT. My needs include needing to be in close proximity to my medical professionals for specialist care, being somewhere with parking, short distance to front door, certain kinds of property are more likely to meet my needs by default, etc, to name a few things. They can't pick up a property and move it or rebuild it once I'm in there- they need to know these things before they place me. When I can get through to the rehousing officer, he really doesn't seem to understand that and is fighting my requests for these processes to be followed. Once I'm placed there they will consider their rehousing duties to be conpleted.

ouch_it_hurts · September 1

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/904804#Comment_904804

Sorry I'm new to this forum and navigating it! I have wanted to put in a complaint to social services for a very long time. To be honest, it would have include complaints about things right from the beginning of me being referred to them several years back. It is overwhelming and I struggle every time I try and write it- I'm neurodivergent and find things like that incredibly difficult. I've tried asking for help but I'm getting signposted in circles- citizens advice said this was too big an issue for them and to go to the Mind charity for help. Mind said it was pointless writing a complaint to social services and then refused to help me with anything because I have a mental health care coordinator- even though there's not really any coordinating being done. Those are the only places I can find that would help in my area so I' not sure what to do.

Rachel_Scope · September 1

Morning @ouch_it_hurts. I'm so sorry your current accommodation is so unsuitable. When you say you stay there sporadically, where else are you staying? Just want to make sure you have somewhere you can go.

I see what you're saying now with regards to the OT assessment. I'm struggling to find information about it and how it would work with being rehoused. Is it possible they'll move you, do an OT assessment and then move you again somewhere suitable? I'm just thinking out loud, I'm not entirely sure, and I'd like to hope they don't do that as it's a lot of stress on you.

You could go to the Ombudsman for Social Care https://www.lgo.org.uk/ as they're the 'top dog' so to speak, in the complaints process. Do you have regular contact with your MH Care Coordinator? Do you have a care plan in place?

Sorry for all the questions!

ouch_it_hurts · September 5

Hi @Rachel_Scope, the only other option I have is my boyfriends several hours drive away. It’s not sustainable; I’m cut off from everything else in my life and can’t access my medical care, social care re-assessments, any other agencies to get me through this crisis. It’s making everything fall apart further and even the journey exacerbates some of my conditions, but it’s the only place I have access to to meet some of my essential & basic personal care/ bodily needs right now.

I have just found out there is a housing allocation policy document from my local authority that says there is a whole different pathway for disabled people, it talks about specialist housing teams doing assessments of housing-support needs etc, supported accommodation and more. It says it’s different from the general-needs pathway. I don’t know that supported accommodation would be suitable for me but I definitely have a lot of housing-support needs that others don’t have, and this sounds kind of like what the disability advice charity was talking about- it probably includes OT assessment? But I appear to have been sent down the general-needs pathway and I don’t understand why.

I went to view the property they’re offering me today. It ticks some boxes and if I said yes I would instantly have somewhere more suitable to stay than I do currently. But there are still some big problems where it’s not suitable for my complex situation. It will be a permanent placement, not temporary housing. I’m scared if I accept they will take it as me saying it’s suitable. And even if they listen to me saying it’s not suitable and requesting to be rehoused, I will be lower priority to be housed somewhere suitable under the allocations policy than I am now because I will no longer be homeless- that could mean I’m stuck there for years with important needs being unmet. I discussed some of this with the person showing the property and they were talking about OT coming to assess me in the property and other additional support needing to be in place including social care etc, but she’s time-pressuring me to give an answer by Friday- which is madness considering it hinges on this other support/assessment and I’ve never known any council process to move within a month let alone 2 days. Plus I don’t know how 48 hours is supposed to change any of the suitability needs or make them go away. I think I’m being encouraged to ignore the suitability needs they have a responsibility to cater to. I feel like I’m being tricked into them pretending it’s my responsibility so they can say they’re not at fault if I call them out at a later date, and that it’s my fault for not doing or saying the right thing which they have said before. I can’t navigate this. I’m still having to work with the police about the ongoing abuse and hospitals about my medical care and some really worrying complications. I am so stressed and on constant verge of mental breakdown if not actually breaking down. I have no idea what to do.

I will try and go to the ombudsman. I am struggling severely to navigate all of this. I have less contact with my MH coordinator than I used to, and I don’t understand why but the last appointment she sounded like she was looking to withdraw her involvement. I have a social care plan in place, but the council aren’t giving any provisions it specifies. Everything seems to be withdrawing but I need the support more than ever and I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do to get the support.

Rachel_Scope · September 5

Hi, I’ll be sending you an email this afternoon, can you look out for it? 😊

Your situation sounds so difficult and I’m sorry there’s so much going on. I’m glad you have your boyfriend’s house to meet some of your needs. Would he be able to help you with phone calls, or contacting the ombudsman? You could also contact Citizens Advice who could support you further.

I understand the concern about accepting the property you saw. Do you feel like you’ll accept it? I know it’s such a hard decision if it doesn’t fully meet your needs. Here’s some information about getting home adaptations, advocacy, and what to do if you disagree with a decision Scope - Home Adaptations. They have a duty of care to provide reasonable adjustments for you.

What made you think your MH coordinator wants to withdraw? Here’s some information about complaining about your social care plan not being followed Scope - Challenging Social Care .

As you have so much going on, I’d suggest taking things one step at a time. What’s the most important thing to get sorted right now? Don’t try and do everything at once, you need to look after yourself 😊

Finding a good private OT, & any other help with my homelessness, abuse & care crisis?

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