March 27th, 2012 at 11:31AM

How Things Work - Hypocrisy & The Senior Officers “Network”

We are “intrigued” to discover that Wirral Council’s own Rick O’Brien (RO’B) is the End of Life Care Lead for the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services .
 
 So one-time heir apparent Rick O’Brien (Head of Wirral Social Services Branch Access & Assessment and who apparently until VERY recently was apparently openly touting for consultancy offers* on the Linked in Social Networking site) was seemingly hand-picked to be the Association of Adult Social Services (ADASS) to be  End of Life Care Lead






Yes let us repeat that, the End of Life Care Lead.
The same Rick O’Brien who apparently thought up the 4 week delay in commissioning services as shown HERE. This would be the 4 week delay that they claimed didn’t exist, the four week delay that has been described as “illegal,” the very same four week delay in which there was no risk or impact assessment(see here) on how this effected the elderly or vulnerable and the four week delay Wirral Leader Councillor Jeff Green described on his own blog as”yet more evidence of a department that was in disarray and a prime example of why we are appointing an ‘independent ombudsman’ to investigate concerns raised around Council practices, particularly in the Department for Adult Social Services” “ For residents, this will have meant care that could have been provided quickly, wasn’t.” This is also the four week delay that  has caused such public outrage which can be seen by the Wirral Globe comments HERE ,
Meanwhile we also came across an illuminating NHS document
where Rick O’Brien actually writes the  foreword and states:
  
Support for people at the end of their lives has great significance in social care. Domiciliary care and residential home staff often play unique and vital roles working alongside people and their families - sometimes over extended periods of uncertainty and decline. Providing this support in the right way, with an emphasis on dignity in care, can have a positive effect.

Social care staff who arrange support services also have a critical role to play.
Our value base, with its strong emphasis on empathy, respect and allowing people to make informed choices, is vital to achieving better end of life care. Mutually supportive working between health and social care is another key ingredient. Training can have a significant impact on both staff confidence and service standards. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services welcomes this report, the innovative initiatives it promotes and the opportunity it provides.

- Rick O’Brien, End of Life care lead, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
 
Such fine sounding  words…….  
 
Dignity? Empathy? Respect? Informed Choices? Service Standards?Innovative Initiatives? - perhaps Mr.O’Brien can please tell us where did they figure in the thinking that went behind the 4 week delay in commissioning services?.
 
How did  O’Brien  reconcile these laudable sentiments with  Wirral Council’s “VALUE BASE”  - which is there for all to see at that fateful  “Budget Meeting” held on 23rd October 2008 and which was chaired by O’Brien himself and attended by his faithful “gatekeepers”?.
 
We wonder if the 4 week delay in commissioning care was cited as a model of good practice at a “Policy Session” attended by O’Brien  as a ” main participant “  which was held on 4 November 2010 to discuss - wait for this- Supporting people to Live and Die Well : social care at the end of life
-NO his Lord and Ladyship are NOT making this up -
check  this out if you don’t believe us: 
 
As you can see chairing this event in his role as a Trustee of the National Council for Palliative Care is none other than the  Mayors special friend and former Wirral Social Services Director…….. Mr.Kevin “ Windy” Miller - ……………………which is why Lord and Lady Wirralleaks are once again “intrigued”!.

“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing. “
*******************************************************
NB *Councils Conflict Of Interest Guide states

Paragraph 71

“Officers above Scale 6 (now above SCP29) shall devote their whole-time service to the work of their Council and shall not engage in any other business or take up any other additional appointment without the express consent of the Council. “

#wirral leaks#Wirral Council#Whictleblowing#4 week delay
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:36PM

“Is There Anybody There ?”

#wirral council#delaygate#whistleblowing#wirral globe#Hotline#delaygate#4 week delay
March 22nd, 2012 at 2:34PM

Wirrals Not So Hot Line

Why not publicly an announce setting up a hot line (see HERE)  and then not answer it ?  In most places this would be madness, but in Wirral Council, it’s the norm.

#Wirral Borough Council#Hot line#Councillor Jeff Green#Delaygate#4 week delay#social services
March 19th, 2012 at 4:59PM

Wirral Set Up Delaygate Hotline.

So the 4 week care delay that didn’t actually happen, did happen!

Wirral Council have set up a “hotline” in response to DELAYGATE which opened today and will be available until Friday, April 13.

The number to call is 0151 606 2641.

Complaints can also be registered by emailing leader@wirral.gov.uk or in writing to the Customer Resolution and Information Team, Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead, CH41 4FD.

Other questions people may like to ask is,

Why was there a delay especially when the Fair Access to care legislation states “Councils should provide services promptly once they have agreed to do so.”

Who decided on this policy, Elected members ? Or Senior Officers ? 

Why are these people still in post and why was this unofficial policy covered up for so long? 

Who are the specialist team of officers independent of Wirral Council.?

#Wirral Borough Council#DELAYGATE#4 week delay#Whistleblowing#Jeff Green
March 17th, 2012 at 9:50PM

Unofficial Media Statement - Wirral Explain “Delaygate” ?

D.A.S.S Spokesman Richard Dasstardly briefed media today : 
“Well the thing is right , when we said “4 week delay in commissioning care”  what we really meant was that this was to assist service users time to reflect on their needs and er, ensure that the package was bespoke and very good and stuff.
 
It is a gross misrepresentation to call it a delay .The secretary taking the minutes of the Budget Meeting meant to write  “4 week prioritisation process” in the minutes.As a result of her sheer incompetence she’s now been chosen to be the fall person for this “misunderstanding” because she can’t possibly understand how clever,caring and cuddly we really,really are deep,deep down inside…………..
 
Please note: the fact that “prioritisation” does not feature among any of the documentation relating to this case should not lead you to the conclusion that we are making it up as we go along.
Prioritisation is such a long and very important word it should be all we need to convince Councillors that what we were doing was in the best interests of all concerned ( OK not the people of Wirral - but hey they don’t count do they ?- they’re just there to fund my lavish lifestyle in the Cheshire stockbroker belt).   
 
However we must explain that if there was a delay, we have decided it was the service users fault for not agreeing to a piss-poor service, sorry we mean personalised service within a 4 week period of reflection followed by a period of prioritisation by very,very clever Senior managers .
 
Some social workers may have thought there a 4 week delay but that’s because they’re not as clever as us and they get a little confused sometimes but that’s their fault because they just don’t listen sometimes and its nothing to do with our lack of communication skills.
I will not waiver on this point.
 
The commissioning care aspect is again a misnomer as clearly we don’t care.Er, please don’t misinterpret what we’re saying here.We mean we support people to be independent rather than care, as we believe in choice and er,empowerment and other words we can regurgitate on cue but don’t really mean.
 
Finally when we refer to the independent sector we mean a small group of “support” providers who are so independent and free of scrutiny we have absolutely no control over them.
 
I hope this explanation proves that making out we are all DASS-tardly is just not very nice and a little bit upsetting.
 
 
As you know DASS senior managers are held in such high esteem for their honesty and integrity by the people of Wirral and to see their reputations trashed by someone who probably has never had to do something really tricky with an Excel spreadsheet makes us all nostalgic for the days when we could rely on the Cabinet lead for Social Care to get us out of any old shit we landed ourselves in.
 
Therefore  we can only conclude that this is clearly the work of a trouble maker who is probably a bit mad - just like the other one!”

#Wirral Borough Council#whisteblowers#4 week delay#DELAYGATE
March 8th, 2012 at 3:09PM

The 4 Week Delay Revisited

Lord and Lady Wirral Leaks were passed these emails some time ago from one whistle-blower which he said proved there was a 4 week delay. 

So let’s look at this again. Even though the whistle-blower sent these emails to the press, after exhausting his options via the internal process WBC still denied there was ever a 4 week delay. Even though NOW there are minutes of a Access & Assessment BUDGET meeting to discuss savings detailing the decision taken by managers over implementation of a four week delay, WBC still persist with the line  there was never such a policy !! King Canute could learn a thing or two off this lot whose denial is positively pathological!

 Here are the emails again. You decide if this was a delaying policy or not

*********************************************

From: DASS, CareProcurement
Sent: 04 August 2010 12:17
To: Campbell, Andrew
Cc: Woodcock, Maria A.; Marshall, Jayne
Subject: FW: **************increase in POC needed for well being checks Jayne please can you authorise waver thanks

Importance: High

 Wirral HARTS are unable to assist with this POC as it’s a community based referral it will now be placed on hold for 4 weeks unless we receive a waver from your principal manager

June Ashton

Brokerage

 

June Ashton

Brokerage

 

From: Woodcock, Maria A.
Sent: 03 August 2010 17:59
To: DASS, CareProcurement; Marshall, Jayne
Cc: Campbell, Andrew
Subject: **************increase in POC needed for well being checks Jayne please can you authorise waver thanks
Importance: High

 

******************************************************************************

From: Tomlin, Peter R.
Sent: 23 August 2010 15:00
To: DASS, CareProcurement; Woodcock, Maria A.; Campbell, Andrew
Subject: RE: ************** authorisation for urgent waver for increase to POC from x2 calls to x4 calls

Please waive delay

 

Peter

 

 

From: DASS, CareProcurement
Sent: 13 August 2010 16:22
To: Woodcock, Maria A.; Campbell, Andrew
Cc: Tomlin, Peter R.
Subject: RE: ***************authorisation for urgent waver for increase to POC from x2 calls to x4 calls

 

Wirral HARTS are unable to assist with this POC as it’s a community based referral it will now be placed on hold for 4 weeks unless we receive a waver from your principal manager

Jan McNeill

Brokerage

 

Janice McNeill
Team support officer
@ Brokerage
Department of Adult Social Services


From: McNeill, Janice K.
Sent: 28 July 2010 13:32
To: Campbell, Andrew
Subject: RE:

local solutions can commence 29/7/10 contact them to confirm  

 

Janice McNeill
Team support officer
@ Brokerage
Department of Adult Social Services
Tel:
E-mail : janicemcneill@wirral.gov.uk
Fax:
visit our website :www.wirral.gov.uk
Please save paper and print out only what is necessary

From: Campbell, Andrew
Sent: 28 July 2010 12:13
To: McNeill, Janice K.
Subject: RE:

 Hi

 Did this ever get processed as he’s been on  asking where we are up to ?

 Cheers

 

Andy Campbell

Birkenhead Access Team

********************************************************

From: Tomlin, Peter R.
Sent: 09 July 2010 11:11
To: Woodcock, Maria A.; DASS, CareProcurement
Cc: Campbell, Andrew
Subject: RE: Authorisation 

 Please waive delay – apologies for delay in getting the waiver back

 Peter

 

From: Woodcock, Maria A.
Sent: 15 June 2010 09:39
To: DASS, CareProcurement; Tomlin, Peter R.
Cc: Campbell, Andrew
Subject: RE: Authorisation

Importance: High

 Peter do we need a waver or should IB cases just be actioned straight away anyway? Please waver if necessary thanks.

 Maria Woodcock

Access Team Manager Birkenhead Locality

DASS

Westminster House

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. Thank you

 

From: DASS, CareProcurement
Sent: 15 June 2010 08:46
To: Woodcock, Maria A.
Cc: Campbell, Andrew
Subject: RE:

 we already have this


we do need the waver though

 Janice McNeill
Team support officer
@ Brokerage
Department of Adult Social Services

From: DASS, CareProcurement
Sent: 13 October 2009 13:37
To: Campbell, Andrew
Cc: Nicholls, Karen V.; Woodcock, Maria A.
Subject: RE:

 Hart are unable to assist with this care package.  This means that the care package will be on hold for 4 weeks unless you principle manager waivers the 4 weeks.

Trish Iddon

Brokerage team leader

 

From: Campbell, Andrew
Sent: 13 October 2009 11:39
To: DASS, CareProcurement
Subject: RE:

 

Sorry It has not been taken on ?

 

Andy Campbell

From: DASS, CareProcurement
Sent: 13 October 2009 11:35
To: Campbell, Andrew
Cc: Woodcock, Maria A.
Subject:
Importance: High

 Hello Andy, I have to inform you that this request for  ********has not been taken on by Harts and it will now be put on a 4 week hold.

This may be waivered by a 2nd authorisation by your principal manager.

Regards June

 

June Ashton

Brokerage

Team Support Officer

Westminister House

 

 

#Wirral leaks#4 week delay#Wirral COuncil