Whats the longest you

[mainecoon lover]

have waited for a piece of equipment for.

DD - is a celling hoist in lounge. Since Sep 2005 and still waiting. They have measured so may times its unbelievable. Sure the wages they paid the OT for coming here would of allowed us to have a hoist in every room.

[speedwayfan]

That's crazy, my Dad who is disabled just moved into my area before Christmas. A hospital bed took 3 days to arrive and although we are still waiting for the hoist for the bed it will be delivered next week. It did take 8 weeks for his wheelchair to arrive but that was because it was specially ordered for him.

I managed to get a disabled parking badge within 2 weeks too, although I can't praise my GP enough who helped sort it out quickly.

He's never had any of the above before and I really don't know how my mum ever managed.

It's my first experience of dealing with OTs and they have already visited 3 times in 2 weeks, once to bring a supervisor out to check some other issues. The first lady who came seemed to know less than I did and as I said it's something very new to me.

I do feel for you and I would be calling them at least twice a week to get what you need. I think over 2 years is a disgrace.

Jill

[highland lass]

have waited for a piece of equipment for.

DD - is a celling hoist in lounge. Since Sep 2005 and still waiting. They have measured so may times its unbelievable. Sure the wages they paid the OT for coming here would of allowed us to have a hoist in every room.

what a wait - sadly a common problem - is it a funding issue?
as said keep phoning
what about your MP?

[disney dave]

the best way to get things sorted is to laise with PALS service for your local primary care trust. they will look into why its taken so long to get the equiment. cares do a wounderful job but they need the help with timely support and equipment to help make life that bit easier.

[mainecoon lover]

Cornwall are one of the worst county's for giving services and equipment sadly.

[loadsapixiedust]

Ask SS to fund a respite place as you can't cope at home until you have the equipment, watch things move then ;)

The most stupid thing for us was a shower screen, probably the simplest piece of equipment we'll ever have for DS. It arrived just the other week, he'd been waiting since June 2006.

[Diane]

I am secretary to the Community Matron in our area and she is the one that authorises the requests for this type of equipment. Usually the District Nurse or OT makes a request and she signs this off less than a week from the request, it is then passed back to me to email or fax to the Community Equipment Store (an independent supplier).
Nine times out of ten any delays are caused because the CES does not have the equipment or there is an admin processing problem, it is unusual for the delay to be at our end.

I would be inclined to ask who authorises the requests (the budget holder) for the piece of equipment in your area and cut out everybody else and go straight to that person - I suspect that he/she will get onto the supplier immediately. We hold quality control monitoring forms and all complaints are taken very seriously, indeed the company are often taken to task at regular meetings if the service is slow or inadequate.

Hope this helps.

Diane x

[Sheeps68]

Now that makes my wait for grab rail assessment seem short. I was advised to have them in October but due to stud walls and complications we went for please can I see an OT for assessment first as I'm not convinced its the best option. I'm waiting still and was last told it will be April for the assessment. Well until then they dont get the bath board back!

[mazz]

i would strongly urge you to talk to PALS and also your MP as this is totally ridiculous :angry:

i would also give them your timescale and say that enough is enough and you want it fitted in the next 4 weeks, no excuses

the person responsible is always answerable to someone higher, sometimes you have to go above them if they are not doing their job properly

when dealing with anyone in authority i always keep a phone diary of who i spoke with and when plus what they promised to do (like get back to me in 2 weeks etc) once they do not fufill that promise i remake the call for a explanation and then move up the chain of command if it is still unsatisfactory

can you imagine presenting such a diary to a MP or newspaper after 6 months let alone 2 years

i know that is not going to help you at the minute but worth thinking about for the future i was thinking if you have a social worker, perhaps he/she could help as a first step to set up a urgent meeting with the health authority and also a visit to your local MP's surgery should be a priority too

i really hope this is sorted soon, good luck

[mainecoon lover]

i would strongly urge you to talk to PALS and also your MP as this is totally ridiculous :angry:

i would also give them your timescale and say that enough is enough and you want it fitted in the next 4 weeks, no excuses

the person responsible is always answerable to someone higher, sometimes you have to go above them if they are not doing their job properly

when dealing with anyone in authority i always keep a phone diary of who i spoke with and when plus what they promised to do (like get back to me in 2 weeks etc) once they do not fufill that promise i remake the call for a explanation and then move up the chain of command if it is still unsatisfactory

can you imagine presenting such a diary to a MP or newspaper after 6 months let alone 2 years

i know that is not going to help you at the minute but worth thinking about for the future i was thinking if you have a social worker, perhaps he/she could help as a first step to set up a urgent meeting with the health authority and also a visit to your local MP's surgery should be a priority too

i really hope this is sorted soon, good luck


We have a social worker but have not seen her in 18 months even though she is meant to come check our direct payments every 6 months. She is also meant to come to dd transion (sw) reviews and she has not turned up to one of them in the last 3 years :nonono:

[Nordicpollan]

We have waited over a year for a set of extented push handles for Stu wheelchair in the past , but at the same clinic they turned up with some footplates for one of Stus school friends who had actually left the school 18 month before and moved to special housing in Cornwall. Our physio rang the young ladys new housing to ask if anyone else had fitted these footplates and forgotten to tell the Moblilty centre to be told NO, but the OT who had them, at first refused to release them, even thought they had been paid for and it was her fault it had taken sooo long to arrive with them. Our Physio managed to make her see sense and got the place where the young lady lived to get her in a van and up to school in record time so they would fit them.

As she didn't live at home so didn't have parent to shout her corner, and where she lives doesn't have a regular physio to shout her corner either.

It is wrong but often it is he who shouts loudest gets mostest!(Sp!)

I get so frustrated and feel that I spend all my life moaning, nagging or chasing people up.
Over the past year we have had a wonderful social worker who has done all that has been asked of her, she has never been over the top and has been there to help when needed, She has been so good that she has been promoted and we have no one!!!!!
Karen

[mainecoon lover]

They are coming to fit the hoist on tuesday. Not waited to long only 30 months.

[Whitequeen]

The wait time on these pieces of equipment is outrageous but wait until you hear how long we waited for adaptations to the house for a severe MS sufferer......................7 YEARS!!!!!! Yep!! That's how long it took. The OT we had has retired now, it took that long. :mad2:
If we had been living in a Housing Association house it would have been no longer than a year. :erm:

[Saratoska]

we have been waiting that long on a shower cushion that I can't remember. funnyly enough just emailed SW yesterday to chase it up.

its not just the waiting though isn't it its the time you need to set aside to pursue all these things. some of you might remember our saga re getting nursing help. well we got the ok for funding 2 hrs after our MP steped in before xmas. heard nothing until 3 weeks ago to hear from the sw to say that due to the meeting we had with a nursing manager and the outcome being we had cancelled the help :angry: never had a meeting with anyone couldn't even tell you who the nursing manager is if I tripped over he or she, makes you so angry, we won't give up but it is so stressing that it is easy to give up the fight. sometime you havn't the energy :cry:

[Sheeps68]

Yippee I finally have a shower rail only 6 months after they said it was urgent and not to use shower until I got it. Glad I didnt listen or life would have been very smelly. My daily shower means a lot to me and decided I'd risk another fall whilst waiting if it came to it.

[mainecoon lover]

we have been waiting that long on a shower cushion that I can't remember. funnyly enough just emailed SW yesterday to chase it up.

its not just the waiting though isn't it its the time you need to set aside to pursue all these things. some of you might remember our saga re getting nursing help. well we got the ok for funding 2 hrs after our MP steped in before xmas. heard nothing until 3 weeks ago to hear from the sw to say that due to the meeting we had with a nursing manager and the outcome being we had cancelled the help :angry: never had a meeting with anyone couldn't even tell you who the nursing manager is if I tripped over he or she, makes you so angry, we won't give up but it is so stressing that it is easy to give up the fight. sometime you havn't the energy :cry:

No i agree its not just the waiting. The pursuing is the worst. I am sorry to say i do sort of give up in the end.
I hope you sort the nursing care. I had a manager in ss decide dd was not entitled to direct payments, yet he had never met her or me. This bugs me so much whne they are deciding something so important but do not know the family :mad2:
I am afraid i have given up with our care agency. I gave them a months hours 3 weeks ago. I asked that they started to give me the 10 days notice that they stated as a promise in their own contract. The first two weeks they did this but now have stopped again giving just couple of days if we are lucky. I am afraid i said i would stop using them and now they get no more hours from us. I would rather cope on my own until i sort something out privatley. I am sure this will have its own problems though.

[mainecoon lover]

Well at long last the hoist is all fitted :smile: .

[Saratoska]

Well at long last the hoist is all fitted :smile: .

Brilliant, we haven't used the mobile lift since the tracking hoist was fitted, its great.

[The Smiths]

Finally my son's wheelchair turned up last week after it being ordered last Sept 07. When i enquired last Dec 07 where it was, i was told it hadn't even been ordered, so they put in an urgent request to get it here ready for our holiday to Florida in Feb 08. In the end they had to loan us one!!!! I get very angry at the way we are treated sometimes.

[mainecoon lover]

Finally my son's wheelchair turned up last week after it being ordered last Sept 07. When i enquired last Dec 07 where it was, i was told it hadn't even been ordered, so they put in an urgent request to get it here ready for our holiday to Florida in Feb 08. In the end they had to loan us one!!!! I get very angry at the way we are treated sometimes.

That is a disgrace :nonono: . I agree we are treated as second class citzens sometimes.