We're fighting for the Women but what about Disability?

This post was left as a comment on our Blog, but I am moving and making it a full post as it's important.  I would like to thank Chris Balchin for adding this and also for being strong enough to use their own name, something that not many can or will do.


From the outset I can openly state my name.  I am Chris (Christopher) Balchin. My LCFT credentials you will find in my comment earlier in this blog.

I am so grateful for this latest posting!

It is of great benefit to me personally in my one man campaign for Justice for disabled people in The former Lancaster Unit, at its replacement The Orchard, and around attitudes to disabled people's experience within the Trust generally.  My campaign has received warm words but little success since 2010 when I was an inpatient suffering the effects of a serious breakdown.

I today met with genuinely concerned senior managers in the Trust. These managers were made aware of my concerns for the first time today and were genuinely shocked at my stories. I believe they are taking this and other issues very seriously indeed.

It had not occurred to me that the Trust needed to take Due Regard for Disability when earlier mentioned, but your wording opened my eyes to the obvious. 

All I've heard from project managers and the Architect was that Regulations are different for a refurbishment to that of a new build.  Other management just referred to cost implications.  I continually questioned the legitimacy of those comments where no facilities are provided at all, or where facilities are so lacking that there might as well be none.

The room lauded to me as 'The Disabled Room' is named such for one reason and one reason only - it has a larger floor area. Further, this Disabled Room is on the Men's Wing.  I received no reply when I asked where the Women's Disabled Room was.

If those people that I have previously spoken to thought I would go away, be assured I never would, but the stress of their inaction and dismissive behaviour might have caused a relapse in my health forcing me back to the inadequate conditions of the Orchard. I would not have coped with that though so would not have likely survived.

However, though my only technology is a phone, I see it can be so beneficial in bringing justice to the oppressed.  It is amazing what Public Knowledge of a situation can do.

Well Chris, we do hope that the Trust staff who we know are reading our blog, look into your concerns properly and start taking issues of potential discrimination seriously.

Ways to dismiss a Service User's complaints.

The majority of people involved with Beds in the Orchard have been treated in the community, and most have been treated as an inpatient as well.  Many of the other people involved have first hand experience of their friend or relative being treated.

Some of us have made complaints before to the people we have contact with.  These are some of the responses that we've had.

They're ill and don't know what they're saying. (When a family member passed on a complaint).

Here's a form to fill in.

I've heard about your problem, but I'm unable to deal with it right now.

That didn't happen.

You're remembering that wrong.

You're being manipulative.

You're too reliant on services.

What do you want us to do at this time?

You're upset at the moment, why not take a nice bath to relax?

Have you spoken to your care coordinator?

You must have misunderstood.

I'm sorry you feel upset. 

I'm sure that's not how it was intended.

We're very busy you know.

You're not the only patient.

Sorry to hear about that.

We've not had that complaint before. 

Why not complain properly when you're feeling stronger.

But he wasn't behaving as he should have done! (When a complaint was made on behalf of a service user).

Staff can be rude because they're busy.

That's a bit melodramatic.

All we can do is tell staff.

All of these responses sought to minimise or dismiss what was being said.  Nothing happened afterwards and all felt like there was no point in talking further.  The volunteers try to represent service user complaints, but get varying results and it feels like more empty words sometimes.

What about now?  Will we be listened to now?

A big "Thanks" to Eric Ollerenshaw and a "Thanks for Nothing to the Trust"

Our other lovely MP Eric Ollerenshaw has got back to us as well as David Morris MP.

Both of them have had the same utterly disingenuous statement from from the LCFT.

This is the statement that:-

Doesn't mention that they've never removed inpatient care for women in this area before.

Doesn't mention the closure of male beds elsewhere in the county before  they closed The Orchard to women.

Talks about seasonal fluctuations, with the insinuation that closing a whole ward to one sex is a common event, or that they would do the same to men in spring - which they have never done before either.

This casual sexism, misleading by omission and dismissal of concerns raised by the Service Users they are meant to support needs to stop.