Peter Hatt’s sister has been looking after him
A disabled man claims he was given just four hours notice that the twice daily care visits he depended on would be cut.
Peter Hatt, 46, from Barrington, who was born with spina bifida, is confined to a wheelchair and suffers from epilepsy.
Carers from Home Choice Care in Great Shelford – a community care company funded by Cambridgeshire County Council – would visit Peter morning and evening to get him in and out of bed.
Peter said: “It has been a very stressful period. On Friday, November 30, I was told that the care visits would be cut – with just four hours’ notice. I was left totally in the dark.”
No replacement care was implemented so Peter’s sister took up caring for her brother temporarily.
Selina Fowler-Hatt, a 40-year-old mother of three, from Shepreth, said: “The care company phoned me to say they were withdrawing care, they said they had told the council a month ago, but we had not received anything.
“I cared for Peter in December, on top of looking after my children and working at Tesco. It was very stressful but if I hadn’t cared for him how long would he have sat there?"
Selina said she and her husband have called and emailed Home Choice Care and Cambridgeshire County Council to find out why the care was stopped, but received no reply.
She added: “There has been a lack of communication, Peter has been let down. We will be issuing a formal complaint but I wanted to get Peter’s care sorted first.”
Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to fund 12 weeks of care from Monday, January 7, and will review the care package at the end of this period, but Selina says she cannot rest until permanent a care solution is in place.
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “We apologise to Mr Hatt that this situation arose and we have been working hard with him and his family to resolve this issue, and to make sure support is in place to meet his needs.
“The Care Agency said they were working in a challenging situation and this is something we are following up with them.
“Protecting vulnerable members of our community is a top priority for the county council and we will always look to improve where we can and learn lessons.”
A spokesperson for Home Choice Care said: “Home Choice Care was providing services to this gentleman under a contractual arrangement with Cambridgeshire County Council.”
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