The actions of the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board is placing thousands of vulnerable people into the hands of companies without Person Centred Care in mind. If no action is taken, the 1st of April will mark the start date of the displacement of thousands of vulnerable and end of life care users within the community.

Please read ahead to find out more details and how you can help.

At 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon, Lincolnshire Home Care was made aware of the council's plans (backed by the NHS) to change the way Continuing Healthcare eligible individuals are provided care.

Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is the body by which clients are released from hospitals nationwide. The contract in question enables companies like our own to provide care to end of life and vulnerable individuals out in the community, freeing up valuable NHS hospital beds.

Alongside many companies in Lincolnshire, we have NOT been told the contract was up for tender. Yet the Integrated Care Board (ICB) has claimed to vulnerable individuals in a letter that was sent out yesterday that "We... (ICB) met with providers ... across Lincolnshire to understand how we can improve services and ensure the best quality of care for our patients".

 

 

Despite Lincolnshire Home Care being in constant communication with John Hayes (our local MP) who has assured us that the tender would not be up for renewal, the process has still gone ahead.

We have also made consistent and ongoing effort to communicate with Alena Hackney (Lincolnshire County Council) to gain information as to when the social care tender would be coming up for renewal under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. And no information was forthcoming.

What's worse, is that the company that has been given the authority to take over our end of life clients, is not even registered with CQC, the governing body for care companies nationwide. It has been a requirement for us that should we wish to go for the tender, we must be CQC registered and have a rating of 'Good' or higher. This is so that clients are safe and cared for in their own homes. So WHY is this not the case now?

The news that has made its way to us, on official NHS headed letters, declares that "ALL providers of home care" were invited into the consultation process. A blatant lie that it now being circulated to these vulnerable individuals.

Moving forward, vulnerable individuals will be sent out to one of four companies in Lincolnshire (a map detailing this is below).

 

 

 

 

Despite Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board's claims that there was "a review of continuing health care services across Lincolnshire", they still intend to send clients out to a care company: Cera Care, which has NOT been registered with CQC (the governing body for care companies nationwide).

This is an absolute disgrace.

The process has been managed in a way which purposefully excludes companies, such as ourselves, from bidding for the contract and will subsequently leave vulnerable individuals with no choice but to be in the care of a company with inadequate provisions of care.

Dozens of care providers from across Lincolnshire came together last week to protest against the change and the ultimate result was that the LICB released a series of FAQs on their site. The answers to these were intended to reassure providers and clients that the move will mean better provisions of care in the long run.

We are appalled at the ICB's FAQ responses. The LICB is still lying to clients stating that 'all companies were involved' when they are FULLY aware that was not the case. They continue to bury their heads in the sand standing behind the claim the process was 'legal, fair and transparent' when anyone presented with all the facts can see this is not the case.

We have emailed Maritn and others at the LICB in response to the FAQs and have asked, amongst other things, for a public retraction of the lies they continue to spread which has caused undue stress to hundreds of peoples countywide.

When Matrin Fahy (director of nursing, LICB) was asked what will happen when these companies will be unable to provide the care required he said there are contingency plans in place. When pressed, Mr Fahy said this would involve clients having to remain in hospital.

The LICB is planning to block hospital beds and cause more strain to the already stretched NHS system when there are 65+ other companies who could provide this care.

Everyone deserves the right to choice in who provides their care and everyone deserves the right to die in their own home. These two things continue to be threatened by the very organisation that was set up to improve the quality of care clients would receive.

Please sign and share this petition to help protect the human rights of the vulnerable people within our communities.