Disabled man’s life ‘ripped apart’ after being evicted from care home of 10 years

A disabled man is ‘powerless’ to oppose a ‘traumatising eviction’ from his care home of ten years due to a funding refusal from Wiltshire Council.

The ‘distraught’ family of Stephen Turner, 35, were told he only has months left to stay in his home because the council are refusing to cover an uplift in funding.

Stephen requires 20-hour care for Angelman syndrome, known as ‘happy man syndrome’ and cerebral palsy.

His ‘incredible’ care at Old Orchard care home, run by Choice Care, is funded partly from Stephen’s benefits but predominantly by Wiltshire Council.

His mum, Michelle, and two sisters Caitlin and Holly, were told on Christmas Eve that Wiltshire Council were refusing to increase funding to meet increased care costs.

As a result, Choice Care served Stephen a notice to evict him from their centre in Newark.

Michelle, 55, said: ‘We’re helpless. We are just in the dark.

‘Stephen’s become a casualty in this care crisis that we’re having.

‘People sat behind their desks looking at spreadsheets and ticking boxes do not realise there is this wonderful man who has got through so much and experienced more trauma than anyone should have to experience.

‘They want to just take him from his home and he won’t understand. That’s the worst part -he’s got no voice.

‘He’s just a pawn that they are just moving around the board with complete disregard for his feelings and complete disregard for his needs.’

Angelman syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities.

Its distinctive behaviours include frequent laughter and smiling, as well as being easily excitable.

Stephen, who is non-verbal, had faced a traumatic time in previous care homes before moving into Old Orchard almost ten years ago.

The home is only ten minutes away from where his family live in Lincoln.

His family say Stephen has made ‘best friends’ with the staff there, as well as the five other residents.

Stephen’s health has also become worse in recent months, suffering seizures and requiring 2-1 care more frequently.

While his last day at Old Orchard was due to be January 20 this year, it has now been extended until May 3 because Wiltshire’s brokerage team were notified late about the eviction notice, according to an email seen by Metro.

Michelle says she has repeatedly emailed Wiltshire Council ‘pleading with them to rethink their stance’, but has received only automatic or non-specific responses.

The mum-of-three has received an apology from the CEO of Choice Care for the way they were informed on Christmas Eve, and will meet Stephen’s family next week.

However Choice Care, who took over the running of Old Orchard around 18 months ago, have warned they ‘cannot influence’ Wiltshire Council’s decision for a 0% fee uplift.

Sister Holly, 31, said: ‘Being evicted will rip him apart. He won’t have any security. He will be destroyed.

‘Stephen’s carers are distraught. He is a big bundle of excitement and joy.

‘They feel like it is an injustice. He needs to stay where he is safe. He will be destroyed.

‘We asked if we could contribute anymore. We asked for transparency about the fees, whether we could contribute personally. But we have heard nothing.’

‘We’re relying on the council and a local authority to help us and do what’s best for him.’

His family are campaigning online to stop the eviction and save Stephen’s place at Old Orchard.

The family also claim Stephen has now lost the potential of crucial funding for his care through NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC).

NHS CHC is a package of care for adults aged 18 or over which is arranged and funded solely by the NHS.

Metro has seen an email from a social worker to the family, which says that a CHC assessor could not review Stephen because of the eviction notice and would have to wait until he found a stable placement.

Although Old Orchard is in Nottinghamshire, Wiltshire Council has remained the funding authority for Stephen under the ‘Ordinary Residence’ rule in the law.

Wiltshire Council did find another potential home for the 35-year-old, but that would be over an hour and a half away from the family, who have reservations about the places suitability.

Michelle added: ‘It takes such a long time to get to know Stephen. If he moves again he will go through trauma.

‘If he is forced to move he will have even less of a voice than he has now.’

Choice Care’s deputy regional director Colin Telford, told Metro: ‘Our team at the Old Orchard take pride in supporting Stephen to live a full life in his home of nearly ten years.

‘We understand council funding is under huge pressure, but over many years Wiltshire have not fully funded the cost of Stephen’s support. Wiltshire offered a 0% fee uplift for this year and next.

‘This is set against an increase in employee costs of almost 10% each year. As a result of this, we hugely regret having to issue notice to end our support for Stephen.

‘We have an in-person meeting with his family next week to talk this through further. We cannot influence the commissioner’s decision but will proactively work with Stephen’s family in the meantime.’

Emma Legg, Corporate Director – Care and Wellbeing for Wiltshire Council, said: ‘We understand this is a worrying time for the family and we’ll do everything we can to ensure Stephen has a place that is right for him for the future.

‘We will be in contact with the family to update them as we move forward.

‘While it’s not right for us to go into specific personal details we do always work hard with any care provider we fund to ensure care is properly provided and paid for.

‘Where care providers are asking for a disproportionate increase, we must challenge this, as we have to ensure our care budgets are properly managed and everyone is fairly funded.’

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Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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