Sandra* (name changed) cares for her adult son, who is non-verbal. He had been detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act, and as his nearest relative, Sandra had an important role communicating his needs to professionals.

Sandra was referred to Cloverleaf’s carers service, Carers Count, by staff involved in her son’s care. The referrer told our Carers Advocate, Nina* (name changed), that they were considering where Sandra’s son would live once he had been discharged, but Sandra had become upset when staff suggested options other than her son returning home. This led to professionals avoiding the subject, but they still recognised the importance of getting Sandra’s views.

Nina arranged to phone Sandra. During the conversation, Sandra explained the circumstances leading to her son’s section and said she did not want it renewed when it ended. Nina sensitively explained that the advocacy referral had been made to consider discharge planning, and that she could support Sandra to make an informed decision.

Sandra shared that although she had cared for her son all his life, she knew this might not be possible forever. She was willing to consider alternative accommodation for her son, but said she didn’t know what her options were, and expressed distrust of professionals. Nina talked her through a range of options, from her son returning home with a support package, to alternative accommodation, and agreed to email her an outline of various placements to give her an initial idea of the options.

Sandra also told Nina she didn’t want to decide on discharge planning until after her son had had a CT scan to investigate seizures he had been experiencing, so they would have the clearest picture of his needs. Nina agreed to support Sandra at ward rounds and help her express this view if needed. Sandra said Nina showed a real understanding of her situation, which made her feel more in control.

At the ward round, Sandra self-advocated with other issues, but found the discussion around discharge planning upsetting, so she asked Nina to speak on her behalf. Nina explained that Sandra wanted to wait for the CT scan before making any decisions, and that Sandra wanted to be fully involved in exploring all the options with professionals. 

After the meeting, one of the professionals phoned Nina, saying she had ‘worked a miracle’; broaching the subject of discharge planning was always difficult, but today, the feedback from all professionals was that it felt comfortable. The door to discuss discharge planning had been opened, and the professional said this wouldn’t have been possible without Nina’s support.

Later, the Social Worker contacted Nina, saying they had found ideal accommodation for Sandra’s son. They asked her to ‘sell the idea’ to Sandra. Nina explained it wasn’t her role to convince Sandra to make a certain decision, and told the Social Worker they would need to provide Sandra with information about the accommodation, make her aware of the timeframes, and allow her to decide. The Social Worker agreed to email Sandra. During a follow-up call, Sandra told Nina the placement looked good and she wanted to visit, but she needed more time to decide. She said she would self-advocate and call the Social Worker and explain this. 

At the next ward round, Sandra was being pushed into signing for the property. Nina intervened, explaining Sandra wanted to explore other options, and asked the staff to listen to Sandra’s views and allow her to make an informed decision. After the meeting, Sandra and Nina met the Social Worker to arrange for Sandra to visit the other two options available.

Sandra has now seen all the options and can plan on where her son is discharged to. Throughout the process, Sandra expressed gratitude to Nina, saying she feels she would have been pushed into agreeing to the first placement without advocacy. She said if she does decide on the first placement, there will be no regrets as she’s been given the opportunity to explore her options due to advocacy support.

To find out more about our carer services visit:

Homepage – Carers Count Kirklees

Homepage – Carers Count (Lancashire)