Well having pondered over J and the professional help he receives ( or not as is sometimes the case) I have chosen this year to be the one that I no longer allow us to get side lined, forgotten, brushed off or given a less than adequate service.
It appears that I am not alone in feeling neglected, ignored and poorly treated by the service providers which are there to (supposedly) make our lives easier.
For every positive story from a parent there is at least three negative stories. This is not balanced.
Yes, there will never be a 100% top notch quality service for everyone, but when the standard of professionalism falls way below the accepted expectation then managers need to be addressing their failings and work to provide fast, reliable solutions and ensure that those that are within their care receive proper, trustworthy and promised practices.
When I talk of professional services I refer to the following -
Doctors/GPs
Hospitals
Dentists
Paediatricians
Social Services (disability team)
Speech Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Psychologists
I know I tend to complain in this blog, but it is my blog and I choose to take issue with those that are paid and trained to work for us and our children.
There will always be the excuse (and yes it is a plausible excuse) of lack of funding.
The Governments always cut back on these vital services and local Councils follow suit. I have blogged before about my opinion on these cutbacks.
But, when it comes to a simple promised telephone call of reassurance and finding out how you are (note the promised part) that never actually materialises, it means you then have to call them to enquire as to their whereabouts, and you are told they are 'on holiday/out of the office today and not back till tomorrow/in a meeting' (delete as appropriate).
When people leave their post, the person taking over their job seem almost incapable of carrying on where the other has left. Okay yes it is hard settling into a new position and work environment, but when you choose to work in this field you take on a responsibility of care to children and adults with learning difficulties and their stressed out, tired, desperate families.
Hospitals and Doctor/GP surgeries need to have a White Paper on standards of care and codes of practice. Throughout the country there is a shockingly poor tally of complaints about the treatment of staff to special needs children and adults. From a blog I wrote a few months back about our trip to A&E I can recount the way I was treated as if I could'nt know better than the big boss lady as I was only a mum. What these book trained doctors need to realise is that a mum of a special needs child (or any child for that matter) does know her child, far better than any qualification or degree.
This year is my year of taking no bull, no spin and no messing about.
I will be that pain in the arse who calls weekly for updates and progress reports, I will be the one that stops being sidelined or forgotten about. I am doing this not to be beligerent but because I owe it to my son.
