“Don’t get old! “

That’s the message after watching Panorama on Monday 24th August. Listening to 89 year old Fred O’Donnell you could help but admire his optimism and fight after everything he has been through. Sad to hear him refer to council as the enemy, for a soldier who survived imprisonment during WW2 it was a powerful statement.  

You can view the programme by clicking on this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mbvn3/Panorama_Gimme_Shelter/

500,000 people live in sheltered housing, I wonder which political party is going to wake up and see that votes at stake. 

I have spent many years working with older people, so it was great to see them standing up for their rights. Usually it is difficult to get older people to speak out for themselves, they often they fear services will be removed if they complain. 

In Northampton the Council attempted to marginalise the campaign Fred and his friends are organising by claiming there were 3,000 residents who are happy with the new service. When Panorama went out to meet these ‘happy’ residents it was all to clear they were not happy, they had accepted that there was nothing they could do, ‘so what is the point complaining?’  

If we know older people are frightened to complain why do we treat them like this?  

Social Workers often claim their clients are not seen as a priority, with more focus on children’s services. It is hard to ignore these claims when you look at the state of services for older people. If Panorama had the time and money to go to every council what would they uncover in home care, residential & nursing home services? 

If we don’t die young, we will all old get old,  and in today’s society where we no longer live within walking distance from our parents, uncles, aunties etc so it is important we have services that reflect needs of the community. 

What Councils & Commissioners are missing is the security aspect of a warden living on site. In Barnet and across the country it appears that this is not seen as relevant or important, yet in the consultation in Barnet it was one of the most popular issues raised by residents.

We might all agree it is unacceptable, but people are increasingly frightened about going out in the communities they live. It is perfectly understandable that for residents this is a serious issue.  

Watch some of these video diaries to hear for yourself

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/282 

On the programme last night a statement from the government was read out. I have an idea for the Government.  

Why not ask the 500,000 residents living in sheltered housing the following questions 

“Would you like a live in Warden Service?” 

“Would you prefer a floating support service?” 

Once the results are gathered, you will know what services you need to commission. 

In Barnet, we are talking about a ‘new relationship with residents’. These are bold, brave words, but I am not confident everyone understands what this means. What would happen if we take those words and applied them to older people living in Barnet?

What would their response be to the above questions? 

I already can hear some scoff at my naivety, we don’t have the funding. But that should not stop these questions being asked. If we have funding issues let’s deal with them knowing what our residents want. We can’t have a new relationship with residents if we change the rules or don’t make it clear what the parameters are. All this does is ‘turn off’ residents from bothering. Apathy is the biggest enemy of democracy, politicians have an opportunity to re-ignite local democracy, but will they? 

Members will know that the Unit was down in the Budget for closure year. There has been widespread support for the Unit from members working across Adults & Children’s Services. UNISON has been lobbying Councillors, resulted in the decision being deferred to Cabinet Committee 1 September.

To view all 151 pages click this link

http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=8432

The appendices are 134 pages most of which make the case for keeping the service. We are concerned about the impact it will have on the social workers who use the service. Earlier this year we had hundreds of emails from social workers supporting the work of the Unit.

The Cabinet Committee report is recommending closure of the Unit.

If you are a social worker and have used the Unit:

·         What are your social work teams plans to replace this service for you and your clients?

·         Will this have an impact on your work?

·         Has this been discussed?

If not, then put in on the agenda at your next team meeting. Even better , if you are a social worker, community care officer, why not come along to the Cabinet Committee meeting on 1 September starts 7pm (Hendon Town Hall) and hear why Cabinet are being told that this decision is not going to have a adverse effect on service users & carers.

The Trade Unions have tabled a final report requesting the Council to keep the Unit

To view our report click here

Tonight at 8.30 BBC Panorama is reporting on the mass closure of sheltered housing services across the UK. One of the places they filmed was Barnet, so make sure you are sitting in front of the TV tonight.  To give you an insight into what is going on read this http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8214000/8214172.stm

Did you read the above story?

How does democracy work, we are consulted and say we don’t want this, then they still go ahead…..Politicians just don’t get it ……! 

One of the positives of this campaign is the growth of Sheltered Housing UK ,a resident led organisation, opposing the mass closure of on site wardens across the UK.  

SHUK have managed to get on to the 4^th Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Every hour someone else gets to stand on the plinth for one hour.  

On 26 August at  6pm, Viv Todd will stand on the 4^th Plinth you can view her live by clicking on this link http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

“His genuine interest and care provided some comfort, and his advice relating to care options gave us strength to pursue some that we may otherwise have given up – or not even been aware of…….He must be new, we thought; otherwise why has he not become jaded? It turned out we were wrong and he has been doing the job for over twenty years. It must often be a difficult job; always working in unhappy circumstances, with worried people, and with limited resources. To remain optimistic and positive must require some inner strength…”

I have deliberately kept the colleague’s name out of this quote from a Thank You letter as I think so many of the colleague’s I have worked with have also received Thank You letters as well as expressions of verbal gratitude. I am often proud to be working in the profession of social work and social care because of the dedication and commitment I see in my colleagues. This is also why I and others in the union team have been arguing over the proposed grades on the new role profiles.

These role profiles acknowledge the changes and proposed changes to our jobs but we believe this is not reflected in the pay. The pay does not acknowledge the inherent risks our colleagues are up against (unfortunately not all contacts we have with the public result in Thank You letters) nor does it acknowledge the physical effort our colleagues will be undertaking carrying out Occupational Therapist assessments.

We have just sent out ballot papers to consult with colleagues in Adult Social Services regarding their pay. Colleagues should have received their papers by now. Closing date for the return of the ballot form is 4.9.09. If you are reading this and believe you should be balloted but have not received a form, please contact the UNISON office immediately (020 8359 2088).