News

Adult care report slates Council

Published

8 years ago

July 26, 2016

Accepts reports findings: Cllr Simon Hancock

A DAMNING report from Wales’s Social Services Inspectorate (CSSIW) and the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has exposed a series of scandalous and substantial shortcomings in the way Pembrokeshire County Council deals with people with learning disabilities, The Herald can reveal.

The report’s authors conclude that there is a series of significant failings in the way the Council delivers its services for vulnerable adults with learning disabilities, and says that plans for improving the service are ‘aspirational or embryonic’.

The report goes on to say that some measures taken with the aim of improving the authority’s performance are ‘less effective than they could be because of the absence of an overarching strategy that drives improvement across all aspects of care and support for people with learning disabilities’.

While failings are noted at the front line of service delivery, the publication does not hold back in identifying those at fault, stating that ‘senior managers and other leaders must also accept final responsibility for the deficits in performance at the front line’.

The report finds that, while there have been historical issues about competence and performance in the Community Team for Learning Disability (CTLD), it would be a mistake for the authority to conclude that this is the main reason for the deficits in performance. Rather, inspectors concluded that care managers and others have not been well served by systems, processes and leadership in recent years.

The distinction between ‘senior management’ and ‘leadership’ is particularly telling for the authority and firmly points the finger at those considerably higher up the political and executive food chain.

The report criticised the absence of an explicit accommodation strategy for people with learning disabilities and found that there was ‘little sense that the local authority has effective processes in place that will enable it to predict demand, plan for the future and deliver sustainable and preventative solutions’.

Noting that the Health Collaborative, of which the Council is part, and its regional statement of intent have ‘the potential to provide a sound basis for progress’, inspectors found that it had ‘only marginal impact in Pembrokeshire’.

The deficiencies in the Council’s approach to dealing with the learning disabled appear to be systemic and widespread, to the extent that even fundamental care issues are not being addressed appropriately.

The inspectors note a ‘lack of any case file audit process’ and that ‘language and communication needs were not well-represented in the files examined by inspectors’. In one case, a learning disabled Welsh-speaker was compelled to communicate in English because no carer could be found who spoke Welsh.

As of September 30, 2015, there were 129 reviews that were overdue, i.e. outstanding for a year or more. This amounts to 35% of the cases that were described by the authority as either ‘active’, ‘review only’, or ‘open to review.’

In one case, there was no assessment of need or care plan on file, but there was reference to a plan having been completed FIVE years previously. In another instance, the care and support provided for a service user had not been reviewed by the authority for more than TWO years between 2013 (when a major adult protection incident was investigated) and July 2015.

It can scarcely be surprising, therefore, that the report’s authors found that: ‘The authority is not delivering information, advice, assistance and care planning to a consistently acceptable standard. Consequently it cannot be confident about the quality of outcomes for people… Most of the case files examined showed at least some aspects of practice that was either poor or required improvement’.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Health and Well-Being and Equalities, Simon Hancock, told us: “We accept the findings in the inspection report which we acknowledge revealed a need for significant improvement.

“Indeed, prior to the inspection last December, we undertook a self-assessment of Learning Disability Services and identified a number of areas which required attention.

“As a result of that awareness, the management team drew up a comprehensive improvement plan which they and the staff have been following since the beginning of the year in order to ensure that the necessary improvements are put in place.”

Among the actions identified in the improvement plan was to appoint a Champion for Learning Disabilities services in Pembrokeshire, and Councillor Hancock took up this position in January.

In order to ensure service users and carers are involved in agreeing priorities and are helping shape the service, a Learning Disability Partnership Board has been set up and a number of engagement events with service users and carers have also been held so that the voice of the customer is heard.

Councillor Hancock added: “The improvement plan will not only help ensure that the recommendations from the CSSIW inspection process are met, but that service improvement is sustained.

“I am passionate in my role of Learning Disabilities Champion for Pembrokeshire and am satisfied that we are on target to deliver the changes required.”

Community

Anzac Day commemoration service held in Milford Haven

Published

7 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IN a service held on Sunday (Apr 28), the Milford Haven Branch of the Royal British Legion led a poignant commemoration service to mark Anzac Day, honouring the valor and sacrifices of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.

The service, which took place at 11:00am, on Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven, witnessed a significant turnout.

Attendees included members of the Australian Signals and Signal Company as well as representatives of Milford Haven Town Council and the Milford Haven Sea Cadets.

The service commenced with a welcome and introduction by Lt Col Warren Coetzer, followed by a rendition of the National Anthems of Australia, New Zealand, and Wales, embodying a spirit of unity and remembrance. The anthems were a moving tribute to the camaraderie and international bonds formed in times of conflict.

***ANZAC service: Remembering soldiers who fought bravely (Pic: MHTC)***

During the service, the Ode of Remembrance was recited, a profound moment that prompted reflection on the courage and fellowship of the ANZAC forces.

The emblematic Rising Sun Cap Badge and the Union Flag were prominently displayed on the event programme, symbolising the service and sacrifice of those who served under them.

Local dignitaries laid wreaths, and a two-minute silence was observed, offering a chance for personal reflection on the cost of war and the price of peace.

**Sea Cadets and member of the public at the service (Pic: MH Sea Cadets)**

The commemoration concluded with a prayer for peace, leaving the attendees with a message of hope and a renewed commitment to the values for which the ANZAC soldiers bravely fought.

The service was not just a remembrance of past sacrifices but also a reminder of the enduring spirit of the ANZACs, which continues to inspire and guide future generations.

Community

Survey of Picton Castle reveals groundbreaking medieval architecture

Published

7 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE first ever detailed architectural survey of Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire, has revealed a medieval castle ahead of its time in terms of design and high status living. Much altered in the Georgian period, the castle was surveyed by the author, Neil Ludlow, with Phil Poucher of Heneb – Dyfed Archaeology (formerly Dyfed Archaeological Trust) and funded by the Castle Studies Trust: it reveals a sophisticated building fit for royalty.

However, the building was actually built between 1315-20 by a senior royal government official called Sir John Wogan, who held office in Pembrokeshire, Northern England and Ireland and possibly fought on a military campaign in Gascony.

While outwardly it retains much of its medieval flavour, the interiors were extensively made over during the eighteenth century so that it now presents itself first and foremost as a Georgian country seat. But beneath this veneer, much medieval work still survives – though a lot of it is tucked away behind stud-walls, in cupboards, or is otherwise obscured.

Picton’s unique layout makes it a castle of great importance and architecturally ground-breaking for when it was built in the early fourteenth century. Most castles have at least some close parallels, but Picton is effectively one of a kind. Close study shows that it resolves as a central first-floor hall, flanked by services and a chamber-block to form a very early example of the three-unit ‘H-plan’ house.

The gatehouse – unusual in buildings of this kind – led onto an equally unusual ‘grand stairway’ to the hall; a second ground-floor entry probably led to an external kitchen and bakehouse.

The castle’s spatial disposition, access and circulation are meticulously planned, while the domestic appointments show a remarkable level of sophistication for the period, including what appear to be vertical serving-hatches between the ground floor and the service rooms above. At second-floor level, the east towers and gatehouse form two integrated suites of residential apartments either side of a chapel, in a manner firmly rooted within royal planning. The opposite pair of towers, at the west end, seem to have been united internally to form a residential chamber-block, for Wogan’s officials and guests, possibly served by latrines in the former west tower; the present partition walls are later.

Neil Ludlow told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “The enigmatic castle at Picton in Pembrokeshire is best-known for its magnificent Georgian interiors. But beneath this veneer is a medieval castle, from around 1315-20, with a unique layout. A towered hall-block with a pioneering ‘H-plan’, it reveals elements derived from royal planning, and sophisticated domestic arrangements including serving hatches between the floor levels. These innovations show it to have been a castle that was ahead of its time.”

Castle Studies Trust Chair of Trustees Jeremy Cunnington added: “The Castle Studies Trust is delighted to have funded the first ever detailed survey of Picton Castle and to have learned so much more about the medieval form of this unique building.”

Dr Rhiannon Talbot-English, Director at Picton Castle Trust told this newspaper: “Picton Castle has always been something of an enigmatic mystery: hidden gothic alcoves and arches, secret spiral staircases and untouched medieval Undercroft. Picton Castle Charitable Trust is extremely grateful to the Castle Studies Trust for its generous financial support which has enabled this research to be undertaken and we look forward to sharing this new knowledge with the public in a new exhibition about the early castle.”

Community

Solemn tributes at Freshwater West for WWII maritime tragedy

Published

7 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IN an emotional gathering at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, the public and veterans convened on April 29, to honour the memory of the 85 souls lost in the tragic sinking of Landing Craft, Gun (LCG) 15 and LCG 16 during a brutal storm in April 1943.

The memorial service took place near the scenic, surf-popular beach, where the community assembled to reflect on the calamity that struck during a perilous wartime operation.

The service highlighted the sacrifices made by those aboard the LCGs, as well as six valiant crew members from the HMS Rosemary, who perished while attempting a daring rescue amidst the tempest.

Originally designed as Landing Craft, Tanks (LCTs), LCG 15 and LCG 16 were converted at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard to support amphibious operations by equipping them with heavy artillery.

Their redesign included the installation of two 4.7 inch guns intended for use during D-Day, suggesting that, had they survived, these crafts and their crews could have played a pivotal role in the Normandy Landings.

The crafts were en route to Falmouth when they encountered severe weather off the coast of Freshwater West.

Compounded by their flat-bottomed design, which was ill-suited for rough seas, both vessels tragically succumbed to the stormy conditions.

Denied shelter at Fishguard, they were compelled to continue towards Milford Haven, a decision that ultimately led to their sinking.

Today, the wrecks of LCG 15 and LCG 16 lie as protected war graves, and a poignant memorial stands overlooking the beach, a testament to the bravery and enduring legacy of the men lost to the sea.

Visitors to the memorial site at Freshwater West, which also hosts another commemorative marker at Thornton Cemetery in Milford Haven, can reflect upon the harrowing experiences faced by wartime naval personnel and the profound impact of their service.

The event served not only as a remembrance but also as an educational experience, particularly for younger generations unaware of the perils faced by their forebears during such tumultuous times.

The memorial at Freshwater West remains open to the public, offering a place for contemplation and respect, against the backdrop of one of Wales’ most beloved surfing beaches, where the echoes of history resonate with the sounds of the waves.

Pictures by Martin Cavaney