Lake House 3

It is with increasing frustration that I am writing to you again concerning my partner, Miss Kate Heffer, who is being treated for her ongoing mental health difficulties by the team at Lake House.

According to Kate’s care plan, agreed as of 12^th November 2010, Kate is to receive direct funding from the CMHT to enable her to attend the Creative Response programme identified by the art therapists Kate saw in August 2010.

As you may be aware, Kate’s condition worsened significantly during the first part of this year, and, as a result, she was unable to set up a new bank account into which this payment could be made. I asked Helen Jahans, on Kate’s behalf, whether an alternative means of funding the Creative Response programme could be arranged, but this was apparently impossible. This has led to a delay in Kate beginning this programme.

Fortunately Kate’s condition improved slightly during the early part of March, and she was able to set up the new account as requested. She accordingly telephoned Helen on March 17^th and left a message with her new bank details, giving the sort code, account number and roll number. She also asked that Helen call her or myself if she needed any further details.

As we did not hear back from Helen over the following weeks, I telephoned her on Thursday 7^th April to see if there had been any progress. Helen was out, and her voicemail apparently full, so I left a message with the receptionist, again asking Helen to call myself or Kate.

This morning I received a rather terse letter from Helen further to my phone call informing me that Helen had still not received the details she needed to set up the direct payments for Creative Response. I was nonplussed, to say the least. When I got through (on the third attempt) to Helen on the phone she told me that she had only received the roll number for Kate’s new account, and was unable to proceed without the sort code and account number.

As far as I was aware, Kate had already given her this information in her phone call of March 17^th. It is perfectly possible, if unlikely, that, owing to her condition, Kate is mistaken in thinking that she had done so, but she clearly had at least attempted to contact Helen with her bank details. Why then did Helen not notify Kate or myself that she still needed this information? Helen is well aware that Kate has significant communication difficulties, and of the need to include me in any communications. Both these facts are recorded in Kate’s care plan.

It is now April, and Kate has still not received this funding. This is, in part due to the fact that Kate was too unwell to organise the creation of a new bank account into which funding could be paid. We asked Helen Jahans, Kate’s CPN if an alternative means of funding this course could be arranged, but this was apparently impossible.