Letter to Care standards re Queens Court
Old Colwyn East Residents’ Association
18th July 2008
Peter Graham
Regional Director
Broncoed House,
Broncoed Business Park,
Wrexham Road,
Mold
CH7 1HP
Dear Mr Graham
Queens Court Home, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn
I am the secretary of the above mentioned association. On Wednesday 9th July there was a regular public meeting of our association and I recorded the following minute which is the reason for my contact with you.
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Minute
A Resident informed the meeting that a few days previously, a lady who lives in the new complex at the end of Iola Drive was woken at 5am and she went to the door and found a distressed and confused man there in slippers. She rang the police and they attended. The man was apparently from Queens Court. The lady was very concerned.
Community Beat Manager Mike Williams confirmed that the police were called and he was lost and confused from Queens Court. He had not been there long and had got out. It was resolved where he was from and he was taken back.
He was not violent or anything.
The Chair summed up peoples’ concerns. That is what the concerns had been over Queens Court originally. We do not know who we are getting there and they should be secure in the night. For a lady to be disturbed at 5am is unacceptable.
Mike Williams said that he would revisit the police report and visit Queens Court and discuss the circumstances.
A local resident said that it is not very reassuring given the circumstances of those staying at the home.
The Chair said that we would await Mike’s report in due course.
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Report from CBM Mike Williams 18th July 2008
The incident was reported on 29/06/2008 at 06.20am.
I have visited the home and was informed that the male who was aged approx. 30 suffers from Korsakovs and was on trial at the home. He had got out of bed in the early hours as he could not sleep, he was given some breakfast and staff thought that he had returned to his room but he had in fact gone outside and wandered down Queens Road. The home has admitted that the security will need to be stepped up to stop this happening again.
The male is no longer at the home as his trial stay was unsuccessful.
Thanks Mike PC2393.
Before writing this letter, I telephoned CSSIW at Dinerth Road and was advised that normally, CSSIW would advise the person making the complaint to contact the management of the home. I was advised that as the incident had not happened to me, that I should ask the injured party to contact the home.
I explained that contact with Potens was unlikely to yield anything other than reassuring phrases which would not amount to anything like the security which people living in the area have a right to expect.
Potens failed repeatedly to allow any public meeting in their presence over the planning application and when a public meeting was finally arranged, it was not reassuring to those who attended. The manager of the home at the time was very friendly and helpful but Potens were not local and she struggled to manage the situation without their help. It was left to local health workers to reassure the public and they had a position on the subject because they wanted the application to succeed.
During the application for planning permission, the subject of Queens Court was an emotive one in Old Colwyn.
Following consultation with local councillors and the manager of the home and a psychiatrist representing Potens, I was the one who calmed the fears of persons in the area after there was reassurance that a list of the types of cases not allowed at the home would be made available.
That list, which we were advised to ask for by Potens’ psychiatrist, was never made available to us and as a result we withdrew Associations’ initial letter of support.
In the event the Planning permission was allowed and Potens began operating.
I was personally reassured that all precautions would be taken at the home to prevent danger to residents. In fact we were assured that the persons suffering from schizophrenia who would be housed at the home would not be dangerous but would be living in a supportive environment. They would be supported to ensure their medication was taken and so long as they did so, there was no chance that there was any danger to residents.
I was reassured that it was much safer for instance that having someone suffering from the condition who was unsupported living nearby, therefore likely to not take medication. In such a case it is possible for a person to become unstable and therefore present a danger. Such a case would rely on a case worker visiting and recognising symptoms.
With this recent occurrence it has raised the original concern levels again and residents who live next door to the Queens Court, originally reassured by me have now expressed concerns. If a confused and distressed man suffering from whatever complaint can get out and frighten a resident at 5am in the morning, how can we be reassured that it will not happen again.
We were told that the facility is not secure and we are not happy at all about the situation, given the nature of the complaint of schizophrenia. Given the type of care at the home, we are reliant on a member of staff recognising the fact that a resident is not taking his or her medication. If that man or woman did not take his or her medication and the fact was not discovered, there is a possibility however theoretical that a person suffering from schizophrenia could
revert and with nothing to stop him or her getting out of the home, cause danger to residents.
There are three minutes of our association on our website to which I would draw your attention which show the nature of the concerns and the manner in which we conducted our business in the run up to the Planning permission application.
Input to the debate with the management at Queens Court by the secretary http://www.oldcolwyneast.co.uk/page41.html
Original debate at the Residents’ Association meeting http://www.oldcolwyneast.co.uk/page57.html
Letter of final objection
I ask that you look into the incident described (officially reported to the police as detailed in the officer’s report above) with the management of the Queens Court Care facility and ensure that the care of persons living at the facility is consistent with the safety of residents. Distressed and confused people should not be walking around Old Colwyn at 5am. If we forget about the concerns of residents for one moment, there is concern for the welfare of the individual. We share the concern for the man concerned.
We are aware that the people are not in prison. They have done nothing wrong but equally it is Potens who have brought them to a highly populated residential area and local people require that their rights to a safe and secure area be respected and safeguarded by Potens.
The reason for writing to your organisation is that contact with Potens is unlikely to reassure people living in the area and CSSIW is the body charged with the regulation of such establishments.
We are reassured just by the very fact that you are aware of what has happened in the light of the background history of the case locally.
Yours sincerely
David Curtis
Secretary
