Mentally ill Sheffield double amputee wrongly had to fund own care

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-32926474

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A mentally ill woman who had both legs amputated was wrongly forced to fund her own care for more than 14 months, the health and local government ombudsmen have ruled.

The Sheffield woman has been paid £27,000 after being left "house-bound, isolated and depressed".

During the months without appropriate care, she received only two visits a day by agency workers.

As a result, they were unable to take her out of the house.

She was left without proper care because of a dispute between Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust about which of them should fund her care.

Before her legs were amputated the woman received an annual personal budget of approximately £7,000 from the NHS to help her with her depression.

'Unable to communicate'

When she had both her legs amputated, following a blood disorder and problems with her vascular system, her personal budget had to be reassessed.

But the council and the mental health trust could not decide how much support she should receive or who should pay it. A 50-50 split between the council and NHS was eventually decided upon.

Julie Mellor, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman, said: "Both the council and the trust should have acted sooner to prevent the unnecessary distress experienced by this woman."

During the 14-month period the woman's clinical psychologist, her physiotherapist and prosthetist wrote a joint letter to the council saying that the delay was having a "significant adverse impact" on the patient's physical and psychological wellbeing.

Her GP and her clinical psychologist sent further letters raising concerns about the delay.

Local government ombudsman Dr Jane Martin said: "This is an example of two organisations, with an important role in supporting vulnerable people, being unable to communicate properly."