Health Service Commissioner : first report for session 1978-79 : investigations completed August to November 1978.

  • Great Britain. Health Service Commissioner
Date:
1978
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Health Service Commissioner : first report for session 1978-79 : investigations completed August to November 1978. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    conference on 6 May 1975 told me in a letter that discussion had taken place then on how more social work help might be made available and acceptable to the complainant and his wife. Those present had wanted more social work help to be provided and would have wanted it to be provided at home. But the consultant said that it was recognised that there was antagonism towards social workers so, until the opportunity to do this presented itself, it was intended that flexible plans would have to be made. These included plans for the changing circumstances (ie the termination of the mothers’ group) by providing social work support at the child development centre. 21. The consultant’s own notes made after the local authority case conference on 6 June 1975 and entered in the case notes at hospital A include the following sentence: ‘SW support needs to increase and become individual rather than group’. And a later entry, made after seeing him with his parents reads: “To continue Friday group until it ends then to see (the social worker at the child development centre) individually on Tuesdays’. 22. In his reply to the Member on 20 October 1976, the chairman said: ‘it was intended in May 1975 that additional therapy by a social worker would be arranged for [the complainant’s wife]. Findings 23. The provision of additional social worker support for the complainant’s wife was discussed at both the reassessment conference on 7 May 1975 and the local authority’s case conference on 6 June 1975. I do not know to whom the health visitor spoke at the child development centre before she wrote her report; the social worker responsible for the case has denied that it was her. I think it possible that the health visitor misunderstood remarks made by some other member of staff at the child development centre. I am satisfied that her subsequent statement in her report is inaccurate and, although the Authority’s reply to the Member was factual, I think 1t should have made the point that no decision had been taken to provide home visits, as it was this aspect that concerned the complainant. Clearly, there was no intention of providing home visits by a social worker and, as such visits did not take place, the complainant not unreasonably questioned the validity of the health visitor’s statement. My enquiries have shown that he was mistaken in thinking that the conference referred to was the one he and his wife had attended earlier in the year. (c) The complaint about the statement that the complainant's wife had been prescribed Tryptizol by the consultant, was taking three times the dose and was starving herself 24. The Authority chairman confirmed in his letter to the Member on 20 October 1976 that the consultant had not prescribed for the complainant’s wife. He also said that the observations about the fastings had been made as the result of discussions with the complainant’s wife, as had been the statement that she had been exceeding the prescribed dose. 25. The complainant’s wife told my officer there was no truth in the