I can’t believe the stupidity of CSCI (Inspectors of Care Homes)

My son is mentally handicapped and lives in a self contained flat which is part of a building with 4 flats in it run by the adjacent care home. We have just been told that we cannot speak to him any more on MSN using his webcam because as far as CSCI is concerned it is a recording device akin to a CCTV camera. If I can’t get this stupid piece of logic overturned it means he has to have his PC removed because the webcam is part of it built in.

The care home is understandably following directions from CSCI but even so, what the fuck is wrong with using some common sense in these cases?

What is it about bizzy body agency types that makes them think that common sense plays no part in the care of the disabled?

But then, the government is no better!

In 1996 the Tories introduced some law that means that those who are paid for their care home by the NHS are deemed to be in hospital and, as it is presumed that all those in hospital are by definition, in beds, they don’t have a need to access the community! That then follows that if they can’t access the community then they won’t need their disability benefit specifically to access the community (mobility component of DLA)

So, on 29th I have to go to a Tribunal hearing to attempt to show that whilst on paper they have a point, in this reality what they are saying makes no sense at all! My son does need to get out, he accesses the community often with his carers. Where he lives is nothing like a hospital. He received no inpatient care, there are no registered nursing staff or anything which would be reasonably described as a hospital, the other 2 people living there are funded by the local authority and keep their DLA!

I am just so really frustrated by it all.

Called CSCI and they seem totally confused. Apparently only high up managers can work out the rules for ‘recording equipment’ within care homes which suggests to me from each previous situation like this, that they actually have no idea and are making it up as they go along with no computer knowledge at all so that inbuilt fear there is from technophobes of anything more than a toaster!

We have a meeting tomorrow at the care home in Corby which now looks like it is just going to be a meeting about a meeting.