So, it looks like our worries and concerns at the winning bid for dementia services in Hertfordshire to the Alzheimer's Society were not only well founded but also continue to be.
Today my mum, me and other service users turned up to our weekly group to find it was cancelled. This is far from the first time our forever loyal facilitators and vulnerable service users have experienced such things. What made it even more embarrassing for the Alzheimer's Society and Hertfordshire County Council, is that the Service Commissioner, Jenny Brace, and her assistant, Melanie Barton, were also stood outside the locked building. I imagine they were coming along to our group to gather our opinions on the service provider the Alzheimer's Society. Today's event pretty much sums up our opinion, it's just not what was promised by both the Alzheimer's Society and Hertfordshire County Council last year and service users are suffering as a result. Not only those who attend the groups but also every other aspect of support promised by the Alzheimer's Society. We were promised more than we had, an improvement in service, and their flagship idea of one central contact number, none of that has ever been delivered by the Alzheimer's Society.
It's certainly not been a smooth takeover, even with the amazing efforts of the TUPEd staff who have tried to keep things running despite evident lack of support. The extra support promised from Alzheimer's Society Dementia Advisors were already doing that exact job in the community, so not extra at all. Staff shortages from staff leaving and a failure to recruit suitable replacements, to meet contractual requirements, appear to have left everybody stretched and unnecessarily stressed.
All in all it seems that Hertfordshire County Councils Commissioner, Jenny Brace and the head of Adult Services, Chris Badger, have been hoodwinked and should look at how our public money is being spent by the Alzheimer's Society.
We wish we could say we're shocked but unfortunately this seems to be just the tip of the iceberg.