A WOMAN has accused the social care system of failing her once house proud elderly sister after she discovered she was living in squalor.

Retired nurse Beryl Barker has spoken out after news that bosses at Bradford Council say they are now minded to take up the Government’s offer of raising council tax by a new maximum of almost five per cent to plough more money into the social care system.

But Mrs Barker, of Festival Avenue, Windhill, Shipley, said her 76-year-old sister Tricia Crowther, now a patient at a specialist hospital, had been let down by the system when she needed it most and was left to live in a “filthy, foul hovel” while under social care.

She said when her own health deteriorated she took for granted that her widowed sister, who lived alone in Wrose Road, Shipley, and has Alzheimers, would be looked after by the Council and by the agency workers it employed.

“I got a call from a neighbour telling me Tricia had fallen and was in hospital,” said Mrs Barker.

“I hadn’t seen her for a few months because I’d been very ill. I’d trusted others to look after her but it was the biggest mistake of my life.”

When she called Social Services to find out what happened she said her sister’s social worker refused to tell her anything.

“Frustrated I went to Tricia’s bungalow with my spare key but the lock had been changed by the Council. They didn’t think she had family so they got approval from the Court of Protection to manage all her finances, including her mortgaged home, because they said she lacked capacity.

“A neighbour did have a key though and let me in, but what I saw made me feel sick.

“My sister was house proud, once, but I was shocked.

“It had a foul smell, damp musty clothing was scattered around with rubbish, old dog food, dead flowers. It was cluttered like a hovel.

“Tricia had been sleeping in the front room surrounded by the filth - the kitchen floor was full of rubbish bags and so was the bath, the sink was full of dirty washing up and the cooker was filled with household items - it was a fire risk. Everywhere looked like a tip, rats had been urinating.

“Her workroom where she used to do her sewing and dressmaking needed fumigating and the dog she loved was missing.

“When I saw her in hospital she did not look like my sister. She’d lost weight, her nails were dirty. She’d been neglected.

“I’ve no doubt that fall saved her life otherwise she’d have been left to fade away in her own filth.”

Mrs Barker, who took photos of her sister’s home and has complained to Social Services and care agency Creative Support, collected copies of records filled in by her sister’s carers to try to piece together what had happened.

It catalogues Mrs Crowther’s fire not working, having to hide the microwave to stop her misusing it, the cooker being disconnected, the toaster not working and that she often refused medication or to get washed.

It also said not to call the police if she did not return home at night as long as someone had seen her that morning.

Mrs Barker said: “It’s obvious Tricia’s situation was dire and carers were fully aware of it yet their best solution was to take her to the pub every day.

“Ironically it’s also on record her social worker had advised carers to tip any alcohol they found down the sink. We’ve had no apology from the Council, only a letter asking me to find a new home for her dog.”

“I decided to tell our story because there might be other vulnerable people out there like Tricia whose families rely and trust Social Services without question although the sad reality is that not every vulnerable person has family to keep any eye out.

“I wanted people to see just what can happen under Social Services care. It’s tragic that care comes down to what money can buy. The Council might be planning to put up council tax to make social care better but it’s too late for Tricia.”

Mark Rounding, chief executive of Age UK Bradford & District, said: “It is truly shocking to see the pictures of Tricia Crowther’s home and the environment she was left to live in.

“No person, let alone someone vulnerable like Tricia Crowther with dementia, should be left by any service provider, voluntary or statutory, to live in these conditions. People must receive the holistic care and support which they both need and deserve to live their lives safely and with dignity.

“I would call on the Council to review its cases to ensure that no other person is suffering in the same way as Ms Crowther.”

Paul Smithson, services manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Bradford, said: “This is a tragic case and sadly not unusual.

“Recent Alzheimer’s Society research found that a shocking lack of dementia training has resulted in poor quality homecare that is leaving too many people with the condition spending the day in soiled clothing, or going without food or water.

“Care scandals in hospitals and care homes have been well-publicised, yet unacceptable homecare practices are widespread and happen behind closed doors, hidden from public scrutiny.”

And Victoria Simmons, manager of Healthwatch Bradford and District, said: “Healthwatch is here to encourage people to speak up and share their experiences of health and social care, so I’m grateful that Mrs Barker has spoken out about the poor care that her sister received. Her account is shocking, and raises very serious concerns which Healthwatch will explore with the local authority.

“In 2015 Healthwatch Bradford’s survey showed that there was a mixed picture across the district and some aspects of care needed to be improved. This was taken into account in the council’s re-procurement of home care services. Accounts like this show us that much more needs to be done to ensure that all vulnerable people are having their needs fully understood and receiving the high quality care that we should all be able to expect.”

“Healthwatch would welcome hearing from others about their experiences, good or bad, of home care services in the district.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies said the standards of social care in Bradford were “unacceptable” and more funding was needed.

“If people are living in conditions that are unacceptable then it’s clearly not good enough. It’s certainly true that the level of care is unacceptable and it needs more money," he said.

"I’ve said before that the foreign aid budget should be spent on pensioners here in the UK instead, we’ve got our current priorities wrong.”

Mr Davies added: “There is simply not enough money invested in the social care system. Homecare workers are crying out for more dementia training - without it their hands are tied behind their backs.

“It is clear they are not fairly or adequately equipped with the skills they need and are often not paid well enough to support vulnerable people with complex needs. We need the Government to support empowered and well-trained homecare workers who can transform dementia care in this country, allowing people to live independently and in their own homes for longer.”

The Council’s Liberal Democrats leader Jeanette Sunderland said: “If someone is not capable of making a decision for themselves there has to be a point when carers step in.

"We would not allow an animal to live in those conditions. I’m really sorry that Social Services set the barrier so high but it does point up increasing concerns about the way we are rationing support for older and vulnerable people.

“We are keeping people in their homes when clearly they are needed to be cared for elsewhere. The decision was taken to keep her under care but it was probably cheaper to keep her under care at home. There’s no excuses at all for that lady to have been left like that.”

The Conservative group’s Social Care spokesman, Councillor Jackie Whiteley, said: “This woman was in danger. It’s outrageous.

"No-one deserves to live like that. Whatever the level of her care package this mess should have been flagged up. It hasn’t got into that state overnight.”

Bradford Council did not want to comment and Creative Support did not respond to a request for a comment.

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