Father questions review of son's care after 'insensitive' letter

The father of a man with severe learning difficulties has said it was "grossly insensitive" for the health service to write to his non-verbal son to tell him that his care package will be reviewed by an independent provider based in England.

Aaron Brown, 29, who is unable to communicate and has round-the-clock support, was transferred from Muckamore Abbey Hospital, after being abused there, to a supportive living facility in the community six years ago.

In a statement the Belfast Health Trust said it "sincerely apologised to the patient who should not have been sent any correspondence".

It added that it will review how it communicates with service users "so this does not happen in the future".

Aaron's father, Glynn Brown, is concerned about why the private consultancy company, Liaison Care, based in England, is undertaking reviews of domiciliary care packages including those of families transferred from Muckamore.

Brown questioned why in "cash-strapped times", when Northern Ireland already has a health regulator in the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), the health service was "doubling up" paying a private company to carry out what he said was "a similar service".

Just days before Liaison Care wrote to Aaron, the RQIA inspected his domiciliary care package which is delivered by Praxis in Lisburn.

His father said the family was "delighted" with Aaron's care at present.

"The RQIA published report described the care as safe, effective and compassionate," he said.

He said Aaron was "thriving".

"My concern is this company is looking to make cuts or efficiencies and those cuts could increase the chances of Aaron returning to hospital or institutionalisation," said Brown.

In Northern Ireland, the RQIA has statutory responsibilities to conduct inspections relating to management, provision and quality of health and social care services, including those provided by Praxis.

Despite this regulatory framework already in place, the Belfast Trust has confirmed to BBC News NI that it has commissioned Liaison Care to undertake reviews of individuals who are receiving health and social care including cases with complex care needs.

A statement from the trust said this consultancy service within the private sector provides further reassurance to patients and service users who require a specialised care environment.

It added that the services help review individual care plans to make sure it is exactly what is required to meet individual needs and that the best possible service is being provided.

It said it "would like to assure all service users and their families that under such arrangements personal information is stored and viewed in compliance with information governance and data protection legislation and is shared only for the purposes of continuing or improving their care".

In a statement to BBC News NI, the RQIA said it had "not met representatives of Liaison Care and has not been involved in the process of engaging its services".

"RQIA is not working with, or alongside, the company in this matter. Having been made aware of the company's involvement, we have contacted the Belfast Trust and the Department of Health to establish the nature of the work being undertaken," said the regulator.

However the chief executive of the Independent Health Care providers in Northern Ireland, Pauline Shepherd, said there was significant angst among families who are being contacted by Liaison Care and the personal care reviews that are being carried out.

She said families were contacting her in tears about reviews of domestic care packages and packages in care homes, and they are particularly distressed that care is going to be reduced or changed.

"This is an absolute disgrace that in Northern Ireland we have got to this point and a company in England is reviewing remotely the care packages and care support for our most vulnerable," she said.

"I worry about where this is going to end. This is not about compassionate care or people-centred care, it is actually about saving money," she said.

DUP MLA Diane Dodds - who sits on the Stormont Health Committee - said using Liaison Care was only a "duplication of costs".

She said while it was important to ensure vulnerable adults who have already been through so much are receiving the best of care, doubling up when a service had already been given a good report by the RQIA was "not appropriate".

The Department of Health did not respond to a BBC query about any role it may have in commissioning services from Liaison Care, but said "reviews of care management plans are important and part of normal trust operations".

The BBC has approached the Liaison Group.