PUBLIC STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD – Friends of Dunmuir Park
Posted: July 2nd, 2006 | Author: DGPPG | Filed under: NewsComments: Leave your feedback, post a comment here »
PUBLIC STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD:
WE APOLOGISE FOR THE ERROR AND MISSING WORD IN OUR EMAIL SENT YESTERDAY SAT 1/7/06 AT 16:30 WHICH COULD CAUSE A POTENTIAL PROBLEM IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE SAID. IT’S NO EXCUSE BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE A FEW AMATEUR FAMILY CARERS FORCED TO USE WHAT SPARE TIME WE HAVE LEFT IN THE DAY TO TRY TO PROTECT OUR VULNERABLE RELATIVES BUT FACING THE CONCERTED FORCES OF POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS WITH MASSIVE RESOURCES FUNDED AT PUBLIC EXPENSE WHO ARE CLEARLY DETERMINED TO ACHIEVE BY WHATEVER MEANS THE CLOSURE OF DUNMUIR PARK, WHILST PUBLICLY SAYING TO THE CONTRARY.
IN THE THIRD PARAGRAPH OF THE FDP LETTER DATED 30TH JUNE AND REPEATED BELOW THE WORD “PARK” IN THE TITLE AND NAME OF “THE FRIENDS OF DUNMUIR PARK”, AS USED WITHOUT PERMISSION AND AUTHORISATION IN THE 4pp NHS & D&G COUNCIL GLOSSY BROCHURE, WAS INADVERTENTLY MISSED OUT. WE WISH TO CORRECT THIS AS SHOWN BELOW. TAKE NOTE THAT SINCE THEN OTHER INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE COMPLAINTS ARE BEING MADE. THESE ARE ADDITIONAL TO THE REFERENCE ON FRIDAY 30TH JUNE TO THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC SERVICES OMBUDSMAN WITH A REQUEST FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MORALLY CORRUPT SCANDAL THAT HAS BROUGHT BOTH NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY & D&G COUNCIL INTO DISREPUTE.
A FURTHER PUBLIC MEETING IN AUGUST IS ALMOST CERTAINLY NOW NECESSARY IN ORDER TO PRESENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND ALL CONCERNED JUST WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND NOT HAPPENED SINCE THE APRIL MEETING. THIS INCLUDES THE FAILURE OF MEMBERS TO GO BACK AND RECONSIDER THE FEBRUARY DECISION WITHIN COMMITTEE AS THEY THEN PROMISED AND UNDERTOOK TO DO. THIS IS NOT ONLY RECALLED BY ALL PRESENT BUT REPORTED IN THE PRESS AT THE TIME. YET NOW IT IS BEING DENIED THIS WAS SAID TO THE PUBLIC AND SO WE HAVE THE PRESENT DEEPLY UPSETTING AND HEALTH DAMAGING CHARADE OF PSEUDO CONSULTATION AND “OPTIONS” INSTEAD
IN ADDITION TO KNOWINGLY FALSE CLAIMS, REQUIRING RECALL & SHREDDING OF THIS “NEWSLETTER”, IT ALSO CLEARLY STATES THE DUNMUIR PARK & MERRICK ROAD CHANGES ARE “DECIDED”. IS THIS CONSULTATION?? IT TALKS AT LENGTH ON PAGE ONE ABOUT HOSPITAL WARD CLOSURES, AS THOUGH AND IMPLYING THESE ARE ONE AND THE SAME. IT ALSO WRONGLY SAYS DUNMUIR PARK IS A “HOSTEL” WHEN IN FACT IT IS A REGISTERED CARE HOME FULLY COMPLYING WITH ALL CARE COMMISSION REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING & PHYSICAL FACILITIES. THE COUNCIL & NHS ARE HOWEVER IN BREACH OF LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO SET OUT THE RESIDENT’S AND RESPITE USERS RIGHTS AND HAVE BEEN FOR 10 MONTHS SINCE THE INSPECTION ON 25 AUGUST 2005.
THE “NEWSLETTER” IS IN FACT A PROSPECTUS FOR DECIDED CHANGES MASQUERADING AS ‘CONSULTATION’. JUST COMPARE THIS “NEWSLETTER” FIRST RECEIVED ON FRIDAY 30 JUNE TO THE PUBLIC CLAIMS MADE NATIONALLY ON BBC RADIO SCOTLAND ON WEDS 28TH JUNE ABOUT A ROUND TABLE MEETING WITH THE FAMILIES “NEXT WEEK” FOR CONCILIATION. NEXT DAY ON THURSDAY THIS WAS DENIED TO THE GALLOWAY NEWS WITH A FURTHER STATEMENT BY THE SAME SPOKESPERSON SAYING “NO DATE IS FIXED”. FRIDAY THE “NEWSLETTER” AND OTHER LEAFLETS ARRIVE WHICH HAVE CAUSED GRAVE AND DEEP UPSET TO MANY FAMILIES WHO FEEL THE TWO ORGANISATIONS ARE DELIBERATELY PLAYING POLITICS AND MIND GAMES WITH THE FAMILIES AND THERE VULNERABLE LOVED ONES. YET AS MANY SAY WITH THE CORRUPTION OF TRUST OF NOW ALL INVOLVED WE HAVE NO ONE TO TURN TO WHEREAS THE RESPONSIBLE OPERATIONS MANAGER AND PRESUMABLY AUTHOR OF ALL THESE DOCUMENTS AND LETTERS PUT THEM IN THE POST LAST WEDS WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SHE IS NOW ON HOLIDAY FOR THREE WEEKS UNTIL 17TH JULY. IT’S OK FOR SOME BUT NOT THOSE AFFECTED WHO TRY THEIR BEST TO LIVE WITH THIS DAY BY DAY WITHOUT ANY SUPPORT WHATSOEVER.
CORRECTED LETTER REFER TO ABOVE.
THIS EMAIL LETTER FROM ‘THE FRIENDS OF DUNMUIR PARK’ IS BEING SENT FOR THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION AND ACTION AT THE OPENING OF BUSINESS ON MONDAY 3rd JULY 2006 OF: MR J BURNS CHIEF EXECUTIVE NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY and MR P JONES CHIEF EXECUTIVE DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY COUNCIL
Please will the Convener’s Office immediately copy this email to Mr Jones as his email address appears to have changed and we have not yet been provided with the new one as requested.
From: The Chair Mr W Bell Friends of Dunmuir Park c/o ‘Sarona’ 6 The Terrace Gelston DG7 1SN Tel: 01556 502829
Attention of: : MR J BURNS CHIEF EXECUTIVE NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
MR P JONES CHIEF EXECUTIVE DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY COUNCIL and the relevant responsible officers & managers
Date: 30th June 2006
Dear Sirs
IMMEDIATE RECALL AND SHREDDING OF LEARNING DISABILITY NEWSLETTER JULY 2006 PUBLISHED BY NHS D&G and D&G COUNCIL
FORMAL COMPLAINT
I write in my official capacity as Chair of The Friends of Dunmuir Park (FDP). As you know this is a legal entity being a Registered Charity for the past 26 years.
It has been brought to our attention today that the two organisations you are responsible for managing on behalf of the public have jointly published and circulated by post to an unknown number of people a 4pp ‘glossy brochure’ entitled: “LEARNING DISABILITY NEWSLETTER JULY 2006”. It appears to have no other reference. It purports to be “about changes to the services currently provided at Dunmuir Park”, yet is demonstrably very highly selective in what it says and records.
Pages 2 & 3 say: “The next section tells you about each of the Groups.” We note with very great concern and considerable anger that on page 3 you presume to make unauthorised reference to our charitable organisation under the heading of “How else can I be involved in this?”. You refer under bullet point 4 to “The Friends of Dunmuir Park group”.
Take note this highly public reference to FDP is in clear breach of our rights being entirely without our permission – hence it must be immediately withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. It was made without any enquiry to us beforehand whatsoever. Moreover the way this wholly unauthorised entry is worded and positioned is clearly and deliberately calculated to mislead and misrepresent to the general public of our role in this matter. Also it is apparently an implied endorsement of what is said in the Newsletter about the present and past actions of your organisations in respect of Dunmuir Park, presumably since 2001. Nothing could be further from the truth as your managers responsible for this well know and fully understand.
In view of these breaches of our rights we demand that by the close of business today Monday 3rd July you ensure the following actions are carried out:
The immediate recall of all copies of this “Newsletter” by phone and prepaid post.
That they are shredded along with any other copies still ‘in stock’ for distribution.
That both organisations immediately place a prominent advert in both the Dumfries Standard and Galloway News next editions of Weds 5th and Thurs 6th respectively, which shall formally and unreservedly apologise to the Friends of Dunmuir Park for the unauthorised use of our name and any impression that we endorse your organisation’s actions and that the Friends of Dunmuir Park wish it to be publicly known they are wholly opposed to this misleading official campaign against Dunmuir park at public expense.
That your organisations’ Press & PR Communications Depts also send out today an immediate
That you confirm to us by email that all this agreed action has been completed by the close of business Monday 3rd July.
We are not a “Group” and have nothing to do with the “Groups” you detail, yet the context and position implies otherwise. Moreover, FDP has not “been involved in discussions with managers from the learning disability services” in the way that you are officially and publicly holding out and implying in this context. You have no right whatsoever to breach our privacy and misquote this organisation’s good name and reputation in this way. But of course this is not the first time your Officers have done this.
For the avoidance of any doubt I refer you to the attached letter I sent to Ms Harscoet on 7th June on behalf of FDP, (untitled 10KB) copy attached. Therefore those Officers responsible for producing and distributing this Newsletter have no excuse whatsoever for including our name in this way. With all the other recent ‘mistakes’, this should now be a formal internal disciplinary matter given the mental anguish, upset, needless worry and stress your Officers’ official and public actions are causing to all the involved families. Given the sensitivity of the present situation and the level of such upset, which is being made much worse day by day because of these repeated ‘errors’, we assume these can no longer be excused as ‘unintentional mistakes’. Therefore these are unforgivable by supposedly “caring” organisations, especially as it is not the only such ‘mistake’ in this document. You should also note that Ms Harscoet has not yet replied to or actioned the request in the DPPG letter (copy attached) re the Future of Dunmuir Park, nor to that from the FDP. Yet we understand in a recent internal “progress report” prepared for the ASSC there are further similar and significant misrepresentations that are likely to further mislead the Members concerned. Perhaps you should now circulate a draft and invite additions and corrections and so avoid a repeat of a further complaint like this?
We look forward to hearing by Monday evening latest that the full recall, shredding, adverts and public retraction plus unreserved apology have all been duly actioned. Thank you.
Yours faithfully.
W Bell
Chair Friends of Dunmuir Park
Leave your feedback, post a comment here »
Leave a Reply