Oldham Carers Centre - Oldham

Clare P.

Pretty much no support is provided. Every single year respite payments get later and later. I am a carer for an immunosuppressed, clinically extremely vulnerable transplant patient. In January I was invited to a drop in. I asked what mitigations were in place and the staff member who replied ridiculed me, which I think is pretty disgusting considering they deal with vulnerable people regularly. When I complained about this to the manager, it was basically brushed off. When I email for updates on respite payments, I am ignored. I really don't know what or who this service is supposed to be for.

Update: the manager contacted me following my complaint about disability discrimination by proxy. She said the drop in service isn't for people like me, I "wouldn't get anything out of it" and she said I would get "one to one email support " instead. It seems like they're trying to patronise me into not making a complaint for disability discrimination by proxy, which it definitely is. One of the biggest issues in carer's lives is isolation, probably second only to extreme financial pressures. I would have liked to meet other carers, and perhaps even the people who are paid to support us.
Anyway, here's how the "one to one email support" went - I send an email with a fairly straightforward question, and I don't get a reply. They will say it's because they have more carers since the pandemic started, but they won't consider why (the Covid pandemic is a mass disabling event. It's part of the reason why the healthcare system is collapsing, too.
I was assured that this year my payment would be within 6 weeks "but it's usually much quicker than that", according to the manager.. I've set a note in my diary for 12th July, but as I haven't received a copy of my assessment to sign, or a request for my bank details yet, im going to go out on a limb and say it's not looking good.
I'm going to request that from now on they just send me a form to fill in for my assessment. It'll save them resources, and saves a member of staff having to weirdly flatter me for an hour and completes my circle of isolation, which they will be in favour of, I'm sure (see "drop-in sessions")

Sheila L.

Gary L.