Latest desperate requests pleading for a reply from Chief Executive Gavin Stevenson

The public press statement by the Council on 1/4 was in clear breach of the express undertaking that no announcements would be made without full and prior agreement of the families and FDP to avoid upsetting residents and service users with uncertainty.  The Council has unilaterally ignored this, showing they just do not care and say one thing but do another.  It’s just like the ARC closure announcement 20 Oct 2009.  We believe they made the statement, perhaps authorised by Mr Haswell, or Mr Alexander, because they have mislead the Care Commission telling one story to the Regulator (and possibly Elected Members?) and another different story to the families.  This is to cover up the failure to carry out basic decorating, repairs and ongoing day to day maintenance.  This included putting residents at risk of harm, the Care Commission’s words in June 2009.  Who did authorise and make the press statement?  Will they tell us?

This is the email sent Friday 23/4 at 13:26:

Dear Mr Stevenson.  PLEASE can we have the requested clarification of the Press Statement made 1^st April by an anonymous “Council Spokesperson”.  Why is there absolute silence and refusal to respond in any way by you and your senior officers to our repeated requests for clarification?  The question is very simple. 

The uncertainty you (D&G Council) have created is causing great distress and increasing anxiety as time passes.  It appears there is a serious implied threat to the future of DPCH, which could include possible closure like 2006, because of these undisclosed and secret “options” that the Council has announced but everyone refuses to either deny or confirm or explain.   Do they exist and if so what are they?  

If they do not exist then please stop causing much distress and anxiety and clearly say so, apologising for this misleading press announcement.  This behaviour is exactly what D&G Council Officers did in 2006.   

We last wrote to you and your officers about this yesterday morning 22/4 at 08:34 (and many times before that during April).  In view of the importance and significance we expected a reply by now, since this concerns vulnerable people’s home and essential respite services.  The ARC closures were sprung on us last October announced on the BBC Radio News, is this another example?   

Why will you and your officers, like Mr Alexander & Ms Collington, not tell us what is going on?  Our question is very simple.  We have asked repeatedly during April, but get silence and no response.  Why are they doing this?  

We look forward to your urgent reply today, this afternoon, before there is another weekend of uncertainty.   Thank you.   AWIA welfare attorneys for a DPCH resident and FDP Trustees.

This followed up the message sent 22/04 at 08:34 as follows:

Dear Mr Stevenson.   On 1^st April an anonymous “Council Spokesperson” made what we say is a false and misleading press statement.  See attached and other correspondence.  This stated that by now, “in a few weeks” Council “options” would be identified.  We say that was deliberately misleading to justify the false justification for failures “during successive years” given to the Care Commission. 

Please will you personally confirm as Chief Executive on behalf of the Council whether this press statement is, or is not, correct and truthful?    If not please can we have a public retraction and apology for the upset and distress needlessly created, together with a proper reply to the complaints and the necessary works put in hand immediately.

It you say it is true, then please disclose in detail what these DPCH “options” are, who has agreed them and when?  Also explain why they and the press statement were announced without any necessary consultation and impact assessment on those directly affected?

Do these options relate to the imminent departure of the Manager, which is now widely rumoured.  Yet again we have no official information, despite this being explicitly requested.   Is this departure linked to all the very serious outstanding complaints against him and the depute, or another “happy coincidence” like KG, the council solicitor who also left soon after serious complaints, now referred in detail to the SLCC and LSS with others, as you know?    

Please would you also note that we do not accept the outcomes or manner in which Mr Haswell has handled and simply dismissed justified complaints.  Particularly given his documented track record in this area.   

Finally please will you ensure your senior managers now provide answers to all outstanding questions, including a response about “Effective participation” email 5/11/09 as attached.  We discussed this on 23/11 when you assured me this would be implemented early this year.  But nothing has changed and there is no reply to that long outstanding email request whilst many other public undertakings by Mr J Alexander have been broken, destroying trust in what he says.  In many ways the situation has deteriorated and is even worse than in 2006. 

We look forward to your urgent reply, ‘on the record’.   Thank you.   AWIA welfare attorney for a DPCH resident and FDP Trustee.