A disabled man from Reading claims he was denied care for nearly a year in an ongoing dispute about his living conditions.
Dave Jurgensen is a disabled man in his late 30s with cerebral palsy, requiring him to use a walking stick. He also suffers with asthma and dyslexia.
He is entitled to adult social care provided by Reading Borough Council to meet his needs.
Mr Jurgensen lives in a ground-floor social housing flat in Luscinia View, which has an accessible ramp which he claims is ‘a tripping hazard’.
He has also claimed that the council did not approve the ramp or funding for its installation, calling it ‘unlawful’.
Mr Jurgensen said: “What makes it worse is the council cancelled my care on August 25, 2024 because they were forcing me to do another face-to-face assessment.
“I can’t get any answers from the counciI, so I wrote to their head of legal – saying they are taking away my care.
” I have been without care for 11 months, if this goes on it would make it one year without proper care.
“This is all because they want to do another face-to-face assessment. This is serious stuff.”
Mr Jurgensen has since conceded that he was granted an advocate on July 21.
The council has been confronted with Mr Jurgensen’s allegations that:
He has had no adult social care provided to him by the council for 11 months
Requests have been made for him to do face-to-face assessments despite not being provided an advocate
He claims the ramp at his property that was installed in 2023 was done so without approval – and that the council has admitted this January that the ramp was not approved.
The council has disputed his claims.
A spokesperson said: “The council has a statutory duty to review a resident’s care and support plan at least once a year to ensure residents are getting the right level of care and support. Reviews can also be triggered by; a change in circumstances, a request from the person receiving care and support and concerns raised by a carer or professional.
“It is best practice for reviews to happen in the resident’s home to ensure we can tailor the right care and support to the person’s environment and complete any risk assessments.
“We make every effort and reasonable adjustments to enable a review to happen.
“We would only suspend support in exceptional circumstances such as a significant period of time since the previous review or lack of engagement and would always be the last resort if unable to meet with the resident.”
Mr Jurgensen spent around six months in a hotel while adjustments were made to his home. He returned last November.
