Pensioner ready to go to court against East Sussex County Council (Eastbourne and Willingdon Liberal Democrats)

Eastbourne and Willingdon Liberal Democrats <office@eastbournelibdems.org.uk>

Pensioner ready to go to court against East Sussex County Council

November 14, 2009 1:16 PM

Mrs Lee and Stephen Lloyd in her home in Langney Mrs Lee from The Rising in Langney is not backing down in her fight against East Sussex County Council who are threatening to take her to Court. County Hall claim Mrs Lee owes them £225 from the home-care services she has been receiving. Her and her son Barry Lee have been very dissatisfied with the level of care Social Services has been providing for a number of years.

Barry Lee said: "Its disgraceful that a frail, vulnerable 81 year old woman has been put through all this unnecessary stress in the last few years of her life. What makes it worse is its all been done by the very people who are supposed to care for my Mother."

Mr Lee and his Mother approached Stephen Lloyd for support. He said: "Having gone through the papers relating to this case I feel a great deal of sympathy for the family. Ever since August 2006 when Mrs Lee first had a stroke, on leaving the DGH the family have been consistently unhappy with the care service Mrs Lee has been receiving from the County Council. Finding someone in authority to take responsibility has also not been easy as so much of the home-care service these days is sub-contracted to private companies. Frankly, from what Barry and his Mother have told me, at times this has allowed the County Council to fob their complaints off by saying it was the Care Company's responsibility."

Stephen added: "I have written to the Chief Executive of ESCC, Cheryl Miller, asking Mrs Lee's case be properly reviewed and lessons learned, so that other vulnerable people will not have to go through the pain and frustration they have had to endure over the last 3 years."

Barry Lee added: "I am so angry about what we believe has been an incredibly uncaring approach we're both, frankly, prepared for our day in Court if East Sussex County Council insist. I've gone through all the contractual agreements with a fine toothcomb and have identified around £1,000 of services which were never delivered. A court case would allow me to bring out into the open. In short, following our experience we would strongly advise anyone to be cautious in there dealing with Social Services. We were told my Mother would not be able to manage in her own home for longer than two week yet here she is nearly four years later coping well and living independently. I just wander whether ESCC were more interested in her selling the house so they could use all the money to pay for Residential Care? It certainly looks that way to us."

Mrs Lee said: "I may be old but I will not give in to bullying. We will fight this every inch of the way and I'm grateful that Stephen is so committed to our cause. It's well known in Eastbourne that he is always ready to stand up for ordinary people."