We need your help Oxfordshire #JusticeforLB
We regularly get contacted by people asking what more can they do to support the quest for #JusticeforLB. Today we have a suggested action for anyone living in Oxfordshire!! If you don’t live in Oxfordshire but know people who do, then you can help by drawing their attention to this request. First, some context for anyone just arriving here for the first time.
Context
Over two years ago LB died. An entirely preventable death. You can learn more about LB in this film.
Since his death, LB’s family and friends have been on what feels like a never ending journey to try and get some kind of #JusticeforLB.
@sarasiobhan @MarkNeary1 Sara I count 9 separate reviews/inquiries/inspections, astonishing.
— Richard Humphries (@RichardatKF) August 3, 2015
Ongoing investigations and inquiries and reports take their toll and as Richard observed last week there are quite a few. This seemingly unconsidered and unacknowledged workload (mmm… relentless, unremitting, inhumane work? what are the right words? are there any words that encompasses this special place of hell on earth) falls to LB’s family.
It takes multi-tasking to a whole new level, having to keep abreast of all that is happening, feed into processes, dig through records and emails and blog posts to find ‘evidence’ and all of this while trying to grieve, for the loss of a much loved son.
Juxtapose that reality against the reality of those who are paid to participate in such investigations; those whose jobs it is to do this work, and/or whose organisations have responded to tenders and are paid handsomely to do so. Those who time and again seem to just treat this as meaningless tasks that need done, rarely with care (although there are some exceptions) and without any real sense of timeliness.
You can read Sara’s blog posts relating to Oxfordshire County Council here, in relation to Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust here, and in relation to the inquest process here.
So what are we asking of you?
We’d like any of you who live in Oxfordshire to help raise local awareness of the constant obstructions, delays and re-spinning of the narrative around what happened to LB. One of our trustworthy #JusticeforLB collective, Graham Shaw, has been informing his Oxfordshire County Councillor of what is happening, with mixed results.
It got us thinking though, maybe *all* 63 Oxfordshire County Councillors should be aware, not just of what happened to LB, but of their shoddy behaviour since; commissioning a review without informing LB’s family, sharing the findings of such a review with national organisations, without sharing it with LB’s family. This isn’t just oversight, it’s outright gaming.
Who should you write to?
Your local Councillor is elected to represent your views. If you enter your postcode into the WeWriteToThem search box it will tell you who your local Councillor is. It’s your County not District Councillor we’re interested in on this occasion. You can then send them an email on the site. Alternatively if you’d prefer to write and send by post or give them a call you can find all Councillor contact details on this page here.
What should you say?
It’s entirely up to you, all we ask is that you are polite!! We need Councillors to know what has happened to LB. We would also like them to ask some questions of the officers of the Council (the people who are paid to work for them) the most relevant/senior of which are John Jackson, the Director of Adult Social Care and his boss, Joanna Simons who is in post until September.
We suggest you tell them what happened to LB. Explain to them that the County Council have commissioned a report that is completely inaccurate. That LB’s family were not involved or informed and that this process is adding to their grief, at best insensitive and at worst neglectful.
You might like to ask your Councillor what has happened to address these errors.
How the Council intends to ensure such mistakes are never made again.
Whether the Director of Adult Social Care understands his responsibilities as a public official.
You may also like to point out to your Councillor that under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulation 20: Duty of Candour, which came into effect on 1 April this year they have a legal requirement to be open and transparent. They could really do with taking that seriously.
Finally we’d suggest you end by requesting a response. Responses to date suggest that Councillors may know about LB, and may suggest its important to let the ongoing investigations run their course. This is of course true, but the behaviour of the officers/staff of Oxfordshire County Council needs addressing now, before any other families or residents are treated like this. That is an immediate need that your local Councillor can take action on.
Please let us know if you contact your Councillor (we’ll keep a record) and what response you get. You can tweet us @JusticeforLB or add a note to our facebook page or add a comment here. Thank you.
6 August 2015 Update
Councillor John Hoswon – contacted and replied
1 down, 62 more to go!
Hello Sara
I wrote to Cllr Jamila Azad today about Laughing Boy. I will let you know when I get a response.
I have a disabled son myself and I would not want to go through what you and your family have gone through. Thank you for your courage and resilience.
best wishes
Mena
Mena Remedios