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Haringey Learning Disabilities Partnership Board .

Report on the impact
of cuts in Haringey
to services for adults with
Learning Disabilities


May 2014









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The impact of cuts in Haringey to services for
adults with Learning Disabilities
Introduction
People with Learning Disabilities and their family carers are among the most
vulnerable in our community, and their voice is rarely heard. People with Learning
Disabilities in Haringey are worried about current or threatened cuts to services,
including support workers, social clubs, day centres, supported housing and
residential homes.
As members of the Haringey Learning Disabilities Partnership Board, we have
carried out a survey to clarify the concerns of service users, family carers and the
staff who deliver these services.
We have asked people why services are important to them, how they value services
and what they think about cuts to services. This report gives the full results of the
survey; a summary is presented on pages 4 to 7.
We call on the decision makers in Haringey Council and in the Haringey
Clinical Commissioning Group to read this report and take heed of its key
messages. And we are asking all candidates in the forthcoming local Council
elections to make a pledge to protect services for vulnerable people.
Vital support services for vulnerable people must be maintained and
improved.
It is a false economy to cut the services that enable disabled people to
have an ordinary life and be included in society, as it means they will
become more isolated, their health will worsen, and family carers will
not be able to cope.
Micheal Brookstein Co-Chair Learning Disabilities Partnership Board (LDPB)
Diane Smith Co-Chair, LDPB
Sylvia Brookstein, People First, LDPB member
Mark Heath LDPB Chair Support, Haringey Mencap
Mary Langan Haringey Autism, LDPB member
Vida Black Carers representative LDPB
Jill Darnborough Carers representative LDPB
Sarah Miller Markfield, LDPB member
About the survey
Survey questionnaires were given out in April 2014 to users of Learning Disabilities services
in Haringey, family carers and to staff working in private and voluntary sector organisations
providing these services as well as local authority staff (via Haringey Unison). Survey
respondents were given the option of giving their name if they wished, or they could fill it in
anonymously. The survey questions are shown in the appendix to this report. A total of 190
responses to the survey were received. Over half of the responses (98) were from service
users, 26 were from family carers and 66 from staff.
If you would like more information about this report please email
marylangan@virginmedia.com
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Contents

Introduction 2
Survey methodology 2
Summary of the survey findings 4 - 7

Full survey responses:
Section 1: responses from service users 8-18
Section 2: responses from carers 18-25
Section 3: responses from staff 25-37

Appendix: survey questions 38










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Summary of the survey findings
A summary of the main findings of the survey are on pages 4 to 7 below.
Service users views:
What difference do the services make to peoples lives?
Responses showed that people value services, such as day centres, social clubs,
supported housing, very highly. About half of service users said they were happy
with the level of support they were currently receiving. The most commonly
mentioned aspects of daily life that these services helped people with were:
o Shopping, cooking
o Making and attending health appointments, taking medication
o Budgeting and paying bills
o Socialising and going out
It meets all my needs and helps me to live an ordinary life. Going out for
daily activities helps me to socialise within the community and have a
sense of belonging.

How would service users feel if they did not have the services?
Responses showed that people with Learning Disabilities feel strongly that they
would badly miss services. They said they would be upset, sad, angry, anxious,
lonely and isolated if services were withdrawn. Many said that cuts to their
services would have an impact on their health.

Service users said:
I cannot think of not having these services. I will have a breakdown. I will
be at risk and may die.

I would feel deprived of living a normal life. I would not feel valued.

I think I would go back to my old ways. Not eating proper meals, getting
into debt and have more health issues.

I will be devastated because this will mean staying home and be isolated
and cut off. It will really stress and stretch my family. It will affect my mental
health and physical health badly.

If I couldnt come here it would be bad. It would make me sad, It would
make me swear. It would make me cry.



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Carers views
Responses from carers echoed those of service users. Carers regard services as
essential to their own well-being, as well as to the well-being of the person they care
for. A key point made was that cuts to the services that enable carers to carry on
supporting people at home would not actually save money - because they would
mean that many carers could no longer fulfil this role, with the result that more
expensive services, such as residential care, would be needed

Carers said:

These services are absolutely crucial to help him to socialise get out of the
house and learn new skills, exercise. His mental and physical well being all
depend on (going to the) day centre and being a part of society.

I would simply not be able to care for him if he wasnt attending the day
care. It gives me time to recoup my strength and carry on caring for him for
the rest of the day and weekends.

(If services were cut): He would need more expensive care (residential).
He would get depressed and challenging and would need more drugs.

My health would be worse in fact I would have no life at all

All his support needs would fall on us his parents. We would not be able to
carry the full load of care which would have to pass to other care sectors
such as supported living or residential (care).

I want to have a life outside of my caring role.

Impact of cuts that have happened already
Cuts that have already been made to Learning Disability services in Haringey were
mentioned by several survey respondents (these are detailed on pages 18-19 and
24-25). Cuts included:
o Reduction in support staff hours
o Cuts to / or inadequate personal budgets
o Cuts in the pay of support staff leading to higher staff turnover and a
lower quality service
o Reduced day and respite provision
o Cuts to transport (to day centres, clubs and activities)
o Ending of funding for day centre activities (for people in residential care).
I have seen my daughters behaviour regress because she does not have the
activities and has been more difficult to handle when she comes home.

Clubs I used to go to have closed down, like Art club, art and music therapy.
This helped me to express my feelings.

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At my centre some of the workers lost their positions. It was hard because
they were there for years and it affects us and we miss them. Its not right and
its not fair because its hard for people with LD to find other jobs

The (day centre) where my daughter goes has far too many service users
and staff in a small building. This is because of cuts having to give buildings
up because of cuts

Views on threatened future cuts
Everyone who answered service users, carers and staff - said that they did not
believe that there should be cuts to services for people with Learning Disabilities.
These cuts are discriminating against the most vulnerable and at risk
members of society and are unacceptable.

Im very frightened that yet more services will be cut.

I feel like they no longer care about people with Learning Disabilities.

My son has autism, ADHD, bi-polar, and severe anxiety disorder and
needs 24 hours supported living care. It takes him a tremendously long
time to get used to a new support worker, often months of severe
tantrums and distress. However once he is used to someone, he
becomes very attached. His team has been entirely consistent since they
began work with him and this has been essential to the progress he has
since made. Future cuts that may get made to the support workers pay
will result in most of them leaving. They are quite clear about the fact that
they cannot get by on less.
The impact of starting again with what would likely be less educated and
caring people is the stuff of my nightmares and I think would likely end up
with my son back in a secure psychiatric provision, ultimately costing
much more and ruining lives.

Views of staff
We received a large number of responses from staff who work to support people with
Learning Disabilities in a range of organisations, including council-run services and
voluntary sector providers. The responses revealed widespread concern about the
impact of cuts both on service users and on the staff themselves. Recurrent
themes were:
the restrictions on the ability of service users to do activities in the community
because of lack of enough support staff
the detrimental impact that this had on service users mental and physical
health and well being.
Many staff members expressed dissatisfaction with levels of income, complaining
that pay had remained static or even fallen despite increasing workloads and rising
living costs, particularly in inner London. Several staff mentioned that, as a result of
high workloads and staff shortages, supervision and training were inadequate. Low
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morale was linked to high staff turn-over. Many said that they did not feel
appreciated by the local authority, and some were considering leaving.
A senior member of staff in a provider organisation described the pressure that his
organisation was put under by a Haringey Council commissioner to reduce the pay
of his staff to a level well below the London Living Wage that the Council itself
claims to support.

Staff said:
Ive seen service users becoming extremely distressed due to being
confined to the home too long.

Service users health and safety are in jeopardy.

Team meetings dont occur in my service. Monthly supervisions occur 6-
monthly, due to not being able to leave the service, being needed in
service. Health & safety is compromised staff have too many service
users to work with. Some minibuses drive service users without escorts.
Staff stress levels and work satisfaction have been adversely affected

A provider organisation said:
The quality of support provided to our clients has a direct correlation to two
things:
What we pay our frontline support staff
How well the staff are supported
A consultant from Haringey came to cut our funding using the Care
Funding Calculator the assumption used on the calculator is that we pay
staff 7.07 per hour.
Unfortunately, the myth is that you can pick someone from the Job Centre
and give them two days training and the staff can be set to work without
supervision managing very complex people. If this is the (Councils)
expectation, then there is another Winterbourne waiting to happen!






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Full survey results
The full responses to the survey are set out below. The answers are grouped together in
three sections as follows:
Section 1: responses from service users
Section 2: responses from family carers
Section 3: responses from staff
Section 1: responses from service users
We asked: What services do you get now?
Number of respondents
day centre 35
support worker 78
social group or club 44
supported housing 33
residential care 11
other services
mentioned were:
respite weekends, Wolves Lane garden centre, Spotless cleaning,
Stars in the sky, communication workshops, personal health budget.
Care package which enables me to work at a garden centre and caf.
Activity worker, walking groups


We asked: how do the services that you use help you?
Service users responses:
1 Help to do my shopping
2 Shopping, visit my family, eat out, keep me healthy, cook my food
3 I get help to make medical appointments, attend them and administer my
medication, help to cook my meals and keep my flat tidy and clean, help to do my
weekly budgeting and pay bills and do my weekly shopping. Staff prompt me to do
my personal hygiene or else I will neglect them. Staff help me to access the
community and outdoor activities
4 shop
5 The services help me to live a better life, better health. With staff support I can go
out in the community and have an ordinary life
6 I get help to cook my meals and do chores around the house. Help to pay my bills
and do budgeting and my weekly shopping, help to make medical appointments,
attend them and administer my medication. I get help to access the community and
do outdoor activities, eg. snooker, swimming, gym. When I get anxious and
agitated my support worker helps to distract me and help me to calm down. Staff
needs to prompt me to do my personal hygiene or else I will neglect it
7 I meet my friends at MENCAP meetings. I get help to book medical appointments,
attend medical appointments and administer my medication. If staff dont help me
to administer my medication I will forget it and I am epileptic and therefore there
are chances that I will get more seizures if I dont get my medication on time.
Support workers prompt me to do my personal hygiene and personal care, if not
prompted I might not have a shower and change clothes for weeks. I get help to
cook meals and do cleaning around my house. I get help to do my shopping,
budgeting, attend activities and pay bills. I get unpredictable seizures and support
staff help me administer medication and keep me safe when I have a seizure
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8 I meet my friends when I go to the day centre. Support workers prompt and support
me to do my personal hygiene and personal care. If not prompted I will neglect my
personal care, ie I am incontinent and when I wet my self sometimes if staff doesnt
prompt me I wont change my clothes or have a wash. I get help to book medical
appointments, attend medical appointments and to administer my medication. I get
help to do my weekly shopping, budgeting, attend activities and pay my bills. I get
help to cook my meals and do cleaning around my house
9 I get help to make medical appointments, attend them and administer my
medication. I get help to do my shopping, pay my bills and do my weekly
budgeting. I have to be supported to do my personal hygiene by my support staff or
I will neglect them. I get help to cook my meals and do chores around my house.
When I get anxious and agitated my staff helps to distract me to calm me down. I
get help to access the community and do outdoor activities ie swimming long walks
in the parks, gym
10 It helps me to be healthy by having healthy foods and regular appointments with
doctor to monitor my medical conditions. I go out regularly to social club, caf,
church and restaurant. I also do my shopping with staff support.
11 My support workers help me to attend to my personal hygiene, do my shopping,
help me to cook, help me to keep healthy
12 Go shopping, cinema
13 These services help me to live healthy. By going to appointments with
professionals, keep a record of my medical conditions. It meets all my needs and
helps me to live an ordinary life. Going out for daily activities helps me to socialise
within the community and have a sense of belonging
14 Social clubs, meet friends and go on trips, regular services. Day centre back up
when I feel like using it. Somewhere to go
15 I go out and do activities, ie going to theatres and concerts. Filling out forms and
house bills. Support with cooking a health issues
16 All the services I use help me a lot: meeting friends, participating in activities,
accessing the community, going on holidays, staying in a safe environment and
being healthy
17 Meet friends, keep healthy. (My daughter is unable to fill forms in so I will try to get
her to answer me)
18 Help me with my housing, reading letters, meeting people, going on outings. Try to
give up smoking
19 I meet with friends and it also helps to give my parents time to do things for
themselves and for my younger brother
21 They help me to socialise, be independent and learn new skills
22 To keep healthy
23 My support worker supports me with shopping every week. I have very little money
on benefits. She shops around for bargains, she support me to pay bills and cooks
me hot meals and supports me to appointments
24 Yes I meet my friend which I enjoy being with and enjoy eating and doing lots of
things while I am there and I am happy
25 I meet my friends. I get advice and guidance with filling out forms and housing
issues & repairs
26 If I have problems at home I can talk to my manager at Spotless. They put me
through different training courses at Spotless. They show us what to do and are
very supportive. They train us on money management. If I didnt have my Spotless
work I would struggle financially to pay bills and go places to socialise, to reach
meetings. I get supported if I have problems and we also have good friendships
from meeting there
27 Support worker helps with paying bills. They help arrange away vacations. They
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support with medication and my daily blood glucose tests. You get support with
mail when they arrive
28 My support workers help with my medication and finance. They help me to go out
to do my food shopping and they help me and support me to any health
appointment. They help to deal with maintenance in my flat
29 My support workers help me to paying bills. They helped me to go out to do my
food shopping and clothes shopping. They support me to attend health
appointment. Support with my medication and finance. Support and help with my
housing management and maintenance
30 I get help to keep healthy by getting support to keep health appointments
31 It gives me support, independence, confidence, support with health appointments.
Encourage to socialise at events they organise. Skills about safety in the
community and support with incidents. Support with budgeting and taught life skills.
Receive support and advice on any issues
32 By living in supported housing staff help me to read my mail, support me with
medication. Staff help me to go food shopping so that I get healthy foods. Staff help
me with my personal hygiene as I have a domiciliary worker. Staff help me to look
after my cat. Help me to pay my bills, read mail, organise my days. Support with
hospital and GP appointments
33 Interact with a wide range of people, support, shopping, accompany to activities
34 I get help with filling in forms, get help with applying for services ie cinema card.
Explaining details about important letters to do with rent and house bills
35 Having a support worker it gives me confidence and advice. They help me with
keeping healthy, going to the doctor, paying bills
36 I meet my friends
37 I get support to do shopping, stay healthy
38 Helps me because when I am painting and drawing I feel calm. Support worker
helps me with shopping. They make sure that my flat is clean and tidy, I wash my
clothes. Going to clubs it helps me meet up with my friends
39 I meet my friends, I get help to do my shopping, I get help to keep healthy. The
services help me with socialisation, communication, keeping healthy etc
40 Attending the communication workshops helps me to communicate and interact
more with other people
41 I like to go out for meals and to activities like Markfield at Nite and Kith & Kids
projects. But I do not get a personal budget my parents have to fund these
activities
42 I go to the centre to meet my friends
43 I meet my friends & it helps my confidence and social skills. I enjoy going to
Markfield for Monday club and the day centre
44 Mix with other people. My carer takes me out shopping
45 I go out with my support worker to the gym and do other activities
46 Help to learn new skills, meet friends, and also keep healthy
49 I get out to volunteer. I meet my friends
50 I get help to stay alive
51 I meet my friends, I get help to keep healthy, I get help to do my shopping. I get to
have a life with activities that are important to me
52 I go out in the community, go for cycling, like to do my art work and photography
53 I meet my friends and I learn to cook and I learn about food. I like to go to work
because all my friends are there and I like what I am doing.
54 Help me sort out my flat and help me get my clothes ready. I meet my friends and I
get help to keep healthy
55 Meet friends, do shopping, keep healthy
56 I meet my friends, I keep healthy & improve my quality of life
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57 My support worker accompanies me to outdoor and indoor activities like swimming
cycling and bowling
58 I meet my friends, I get to keep healthy, I play sport, I get to do beauty and pamper
sessions, I get to do art sessions, I get to watch films, I get to cook with my friends,
I get to play games, I get to learn about writing and numbers
59 I meet my friends, I get to cook lunch and eat healthily, I play sport, I participate in
pamper sessions, I do art lessons, I get help with domestic tasks, I get to take
photos, I go to watch films with my friends
60 They help me to be independent they help me to go out and about in the
community socialising help to access other services. They help me with my
finances and budgeting, shopping, doctors, hospital, optician, dentist appointments.
Staff collect my medications, they help me to read and answer letters
61 Shopping, finances, paying bills, help with paperwork, reading, filling out forms,
banking, help with healthy eating and attending doctors appointment. They help me
in emergencies so that I do not panic. Help me to keep my home clean and with
personal hygiene
62 We get support to do our shopping, access activities, maintain my garden, keep
our home clean, banking, paying bills, prescriptions, medication, filling out forms,
help to understand complicated issues
63 Meet my friends, help to keep healthy, do sport, cook and prepare food, watch
films with my friends
64 Help me to socialise
65 Meeting friends, Mencap gym, eat healthily
66 Meet friends, help to keep healthy
67 Shopping, keeping healthy. Finance, accompany me to GP appointments
68 Socialising, improving in communication, taking part in creative activities, being
active, making new friends
69 When I go to the day centre I see friends. Staff take me out to the park, museum
and shopping. When I go to my social club I talk with staff, mix with others, do art
work
70 Assist when cooking, I get to do shopping, exercise, keep healthy
71 It helps me to make friends and it helps me to build my confidence
72 With support worker use computer at home and go out
73 My support worker takes me to the cinema and go out for walks. It makes me feel
better. I like to see my friends at Markfield and it is a good place to do my dancing
74 Dance, meet friends
75 Meet friends, sports, cooking, socialising
76 I get to try healthy food. I get to do exercising, helps me to socialise and talk to
people
77 I meet my friends and I go shopping with my support worker
78 Meet my friends, socialise
79 I get help to keep healthy, see my friends. I get to talk about John Lenon
80 I like to dance, I get to see the members of staff, and my friends
81 It helps me to met my friends
82 I like to help cook and enjoy the meals. To dance to my friends
83 Doing art there. When I get support worker they take me out shopping and to lots
of places
84 I get to see my friends at the day centre social club. With my support worker I go to
the shops
85 At the day centre I get to do painting. My support worker helps me with my bad leg.
I like to have a dance at the club
87 Going out to the cinema, gym, swimming, museum
88 See friends, shopping, keep healthy
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89 I get to see other people, friends when I go out. My support worker helps me with
lots of things, to get dressed to take to bus for instance. I get to do healthy activities
when I go to the day centre. They make me feel happy
90 Markfield is great for getting out, going on lots of walks, keeping healthy and to
socialise with others at the centre
91 It helps me to socialise with people and do sport
92 I meet my friends and socialise
93 I meet old and new friends. I gain confidence for the outside world. I do fun things
94 All for One club meet friends. Support worker at college
95 Meet friends
97 I get help to write letters and do shopping and go to the GP
98 I receive basic care


We asked: How would you feel if you did not have these services?
Service users responses:
1 Sad
2 unhappy
3 I will feel sad and also I will get anxious. If cuts are implemented the services I use
at the moment will be limited and that means I will have less access to the
community and all the outdoor activities I do with staff as I wont be able to do them
on my own. Also I wont be able to do shopping, budgeting, health appointments etc
on my own
4 (picture of sad face)
5 My medical conditions would be neglected and get bad. I wont be able to go out
and have a normal lifestyle
6 I will feel anxious and agitated. If cuts are implemented then I wont be able to
spend much time with staff and this will affect my day to day life as I need support
on a regular basis on my day to day life. When I have a pain or any medical issue I
need staff to make an appointment and accompany me. Also I need someone to
cook for me and administer medication and to help with my money. If cuts are
implemented and hours are reduced that means I wont be able to have the same
support that used to have which will make me anxious and agitated.
7 I will feel very insecure and unhappy it will make me anxious. I need a lot of
support on a daily basis and not being able to have that support will have a
negative impact on my life, ie. I will neglect my personal care, I wont be able to do
outdoor activities. I always need staff to be with me or it will put my life in danger.
I will feel very annoyed, angry and upset, anxious and helpless
9 I will feel very anxious and agitated
10 My medical conditions will be affected and I would not be able to go out frequently
or go out for holidays. I would not be able to buy the things I like. I would not be
able to do my daily activities.
11 I cannot think of not having these services. I will have a breakdown. I will be at risk
and may die
12 sad
13 I would feel deprived of living a normal life. I would not feel valued. My needs would
not be met. Hence affecting my medical conditions
14 I would be at a loose end no social life
15 I would be worried and confused about things Im not sure of, and might not know
how to get important housing tasks done
16 I will feel unsafe. It will make me isolated
17 I would stay at home with Mum and do shopping and come home. My daughter
likes to keep the day centre and home separate she does not like me going to the
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day centre or the staff coming home
18 I would be lost without them. My only concern is that I find it more and more difficult
to contact (provider organisation) and I have been told recently that I have to make
an appointment
19 upset
20 I will be devastated because this will mean staying home and be isolated and cut
off. It will really stress and stretch my family. It will affect my mental health and
physical health badly.
21 Lost, bored, upset, lonely
22 Health problems and diabetes
23 I think I would go back to my old ways. Not eating proper meals, getting into debt
and have more health issues
24 I would be very lost without these services as a user and a carer
25 Worried confused and unsure, and unable to complete and reply to questionnaires,
forms and applications
26 I would be angry because I have become used to my job and I absolutely love my
work at Spotless and my gardening. I like that it keeps me busy and I socialise with
others at work. I would be upset and cry because things like that makes me a bit
sensitive
27 I think its pathetic. It will bring a lot of peoples money down and affect their ability
to access services. I would be upset if I did not have my supported housing as I
wouldnt have a place to live. I would be angry as I wouldnt want to be in a hostel. I
would feel terrible if I lost my support worker because she has helped me a LOT
with bills. She is the best support worker
28 Not pleased
29 I dont know what I can do. Who can help me. I am worried
30 My health would deteriorate
31 I would feel upset. I would be angry. I would be anxious about where I would live if
my supported housing service is cut. I would feel low. If Stars in the Sky was no
longer available. I would be sad because they organise nice events that allow me
to socialise
32 I would feel a bit lost and I feel like I could possibly struggle and maybe get into
financial difficulty. I may also not take my medication correctly and therefore
become ill
33 Kinda lost. Felt left alone to cope
34 I would feel confused left behind and wont know what to do
35 Upset and worried. Unhappy
36 I have friends to help and family
37 I would feel terrible, I need support to go to the doctors, hospital appointments
38 I would be a bit lost. I would cope on my own but I would need help with some
things like reading my letters, paying bills
39 I would feel bored, isolated, unhealthy and unhappy
40 I would feel isolated. Going backwards instead of moving forward and learning
more ways to understand and communicate better
41 I would be really cross and upset
42 I will be sad. I like going to the centre
43 Bored, upset, sad without an opportunity to meet my friends and feel lonely
44 I would be disappointed for lack of being out and about
45 Not sure, but would not be able to go out to the gym and other activities
46 It would affect my health and also my social life
48 I will feel bad
49 I would feel stuck at home and bored. I would miss my friends. I am worried about
losing more support
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50 Bad and sad and unhappy
51 Very upset and angry, bored, lonely, discriminated against, depressed
52 I will be disappointed and depressed. Will be sad to stay at home and do nothing
53 I would feel very bored and lonely.
54 I would feel angry, hurt and upset. I think it would be disgusting to stop my services
55 Alone
56 Down , depressed, unable to contact friends and get the support I need
57 I would be housebound and unfit and would not meet my friends
58 If I couldnt come here it would be bad. It would make me sad, It would make me
swear. It would make me cry.
59 It would make me feel bad. It would make me sad
60 I would struggle a lot without this support. I would be low and down. I would get
financial problems. I would not be safe and happy. I would miss the socialising and
being involved with the community and knowing that someone is looking out for me
61 I would be very upset, I would be scared and would have panic attacks. I would not
know what to with my finances, I would get into debt. I would be lost without
support. My skills would get worse. I do not know how to handle health problems
and medication well. I would become isolated and alone
62 It would be very difficult big risk of financial problems. We could become very
isolated. I feel quite independent but rely on my support to maintain that and have
a vibrant life
63 Sad, cry, angry
64 Upset, unhappy
66 upset
67 Upset, more medication support, my independence and learning skills will go down
again, getting more sick. If my services are reduced I will get a panic attack
68 Would be bored at home and get agitated which could lead to behaviour problems.
Mum would have no time for shopping and looking after the household it would
be a nightmare
69 I would just stay at home feeling bored, not happy
70 I am not leaving. I want to come to Markfield
71 I would feel sad it would be upsetting. I would not have anything to do
72 I would feel sad, unable to go out and socialise
73 Sad as I enjoy going out with my support worker and to Markfield it is good for
me
74 bored
75 I would feel sad and disappointed
76 I will be sad
78 I will be really sad
79 I would be upset and sad
80 I would feel sad
81 Burdened and upset
82 sad
83 I will feel sad
84 I would be upset. I would ask Cameron why?
85 Not sure
86 Sad angry, hopeless and worried
87 Feel very bad. Wont be able to cope on my own. Lost touch with my friends in the
community. Not be able to travel on my own
89 I would feel really bored. I would have nothing to do
90 Disappointed and sad as these services are valuable to us in terms of support in
our day to day life
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91 I will feel upset angry and unfair
92 I will feel sad
93 I would feel sad as I wouldnt meet people and be stuck at home
94 I will be upset
95 upset
96 I feel broken heart and upset
97 I will feel sad and low down
98 Not happy


We asked: Do you get enough support now?
What other services do you need that you do not have?
Service users responses
1 No, I want to go out, more activities, stay out more, holiday
2 Visits to places, being out long on bus
3 At the moment I get enough support
5 yes
6 I only get 6 hours of staff support every day. I like staff to stay with me much longer
so we can do more outdoor and functional activities
7 Not at the moment
8 Due to my medical conditions in the future I may need to have more staff support
as I am getting very forgetful and confused most of the time, and also struggling to
do lots of things on my own , ie laundry and washing up which I used to do on my
own. I got severe tremors in my hands and I am not able to do cooking or even
make a cup of tea as it is dangerous to use the kettle. Therefore if any cuts are
implemented I am concerned about my life as the support I am getting now will be
reduced
10 yes
11 yes
12 Spend more time out lots of places every day
13 Yes I have enough support
14 All provisions now are great. Family happy
15 yes
18 No I want to do reading classes
19 yes
20 No I do not get enough now. I need help with personal care and extra support for
someone to wait with me in the mornings for my school bus, and wait in the
afternoons when the bus brings me home
21 yes
22 yes
23 yes
24 I would like more support for my son over the weekend Saturday and Sunday.
Would be very great for me and would give me more time to do my things and have
time for myself too as a carer
25 I get enough support right now
26 At the moment I am happy with my support
27 At the moment staff are outstretched and are very busy so dont always get enough
individual support
28 Yes at the moment
29 At the moment I have got staff to help me but staff are busy
30 Job search to meet my needs
31 At the moment my support is OK and sustainable
16

32 I feel like I get enough support from staff and I do not want it to be taken away due
to the cuts. I want to start the gym and my activity worker will help me with that
33 Basic support 1 day a week
34 yes
35 I do get enough
36 yes
37 yes
38 Ive got it all, Im alright
39 Just necessary services I get by using my personalised budget
40 No I only have my sister who is my carer. I feel I would benefit from having a social
worker who could give me and my sister the proper support we need like help with
benefits and anything else we are unaware about
41 I have recently moved care homes and I am hoping that the day activities in the
new home will be covered by social services. In the previous home the Council
only paid for board and lodgings and I and my parents had to pay for all the day
activities. I could not attend a day centre any more as that was expensive and
stopped when I moved to the first home
42 Yes
43 Other services needed: cookery classes, money classes, keep fit classes, writing
classes
44 Im happy with the support I get
45 I am on the waiting list for the Occupational Therapist
46 I feel I want to get married
47 yes
48 I want to go on the minibus
49 I would like more support so I can date my girlfriend and learn stuff like cooking
and knowing peoples addresses
50 No
51 Art clubs, speech and language therapy
53 I receive enough support at the moment
54 I would like extra support so I can go to college in September
55 Yes
56 No I would like to attend evening social club to improve my quality of life
57 Yes I get enough support now
58 I would like to swim, I would like to go to the pub, I would like to play snooker, I
would like to ride horses
59 Yes
60 I wish there was more employment and training options for people with LD
61 I get good support now. I do wish staff would call me at weekends to see if I am
OK and to chat
62 I have enough support now my hours have remained the same for many years
63 yes
64 I would like to have a workshop as a part time job
65 Travel training. Would like my own place to live
66 Pay my bills, help for shopping, attend GP appointment
67 Yes I am satisfied with the support I am having
68 No theres never enough support. Evening support outside for example a club
would be hugely beneficial and much needed for both mum and daughter
69 I get enough support
70 Yes my support worker is OK
71 I am OK with the services I currently have
72 I have enough support now and am happy with it
17

73 Im happy with the support I am getting
75 Move into house with girlfriend
76 Yes I am OK with the services I have
77 yes
78 yes
79 I get the right support now
81 yes
82 Yes I do
83 Yes I get enough support Ive got everything
84 Yes at the moment I do
85 Yes
87 If possible music lessons. Family trips with the person you care for
88 OK but I feel its not enough. Like to go out a bit more
90 Yes I get enough support at the moment
91 yes
92 yes
93 I get enough support
94 Developing my DJ skills. Get a job
95 job
96 Help getting a job
98 No I dont get enough support


We asked: how have you been affected by cuts or reductions to
services?
Service users responses
7 I have been informed that they are trying to reduce my care package which will
result in staff working less hours with me. In the future if they decide to reduce or
cut the services I am getting I will find it difficult to cope with day to day life as the
support I get from staff is essential to me. I dont want to lose my placement due to
cuts as I love where I live now and it will be very stressful for me to move to
another place. Due to my medical conditions my physical health might get worse in
the future according to the doctors and I might need more support I the future.
Therefore if any cuts are implemented it will affect my life.
14 My friends find it difficult when transport cut to clubs
18 Yes day centres, training schemes
20 In the past I could attend Markfield and Team Spirit and still had enough money
through personal budget for other community and social activities. Now I use all my
money to pay for 2 days at Markfield
21 Yes - respite
22 Cuts cause delay in getting treatment
23 Personal Independence Payment: I reapplied for PiP in October2013. My support
worker phoned the office in Jan 14 was informed it was passed onto the
assessment provider. Got in contact with them they are to send out appointment
for one to one consultation
24 Yes support worker has been laid off. I have seen the social worker about it
25 At my garden centre some of the workers lost their positions. It was hard because
they were there for years and it affects us and we miss them. Its not right and its
not fair because its hard for people with LD to find other jobs
26 Where I live support staff have been reduced and our manager took redundancy
27 Our project manager took redundancy and the supporting hours have been
reduced from where I live
18

28 Support hours have been reduced. Manager took redundancy
30 Supported living related services
31 My supported housing the staff have been reduced, our manager took
redundancy
39 Recent cut in community support work team and shared lives scheme affected me
by losing their services
41 My attendance at a day centre was cut 3.5 years ago and I really miss going there.
I used to attend the National Autistic Society day centre in Acton above my old
school. I am hoping that I will soon be able to go back to a day centre some days a
week as all my friends go to one and it is really unfair that I have been unable to go
43 No more cookery classes at Winkfield Rd so unable to learn cooking skills. Keston
Road day service cut so Ive been moved around. Confused as to why it was
closed
49 I lost one of my support workers
50 Clubs I used to go to have closed down like Art club, art and music therapy. This
helped me to express my feelings
55 Yes Camden Society
56 The social club I attended the bus /coach service has been cut therefore I no
longer can attend
60 Some staff at the organisation that supports me have been made redundant last
year. One home had to close and the clients had to move elsewhere
61 I have heard that there might be cuts to the centre where I go. Losing this service
would isolate me and make me feel lonely
64 A lady manager stopped visiting me
65 Yes a day centre in Hackney she used to go to has been closed down last year
due to funding cuts
71 I know that other services are being cut. Though it is not affecting me I am worried
that it might someday
72 I know services are being reduced. I would be worried if it happened to Marfkfield
and I couldnt attend any more
75 I would like to go to the caf in green lanes again
81 One of my support workers was made redundant
82 Yes they have
88 Dont get much services
90 I am aware of services being reduced and cuts being implemented. It is worrying if
I will be affected and cant access services
93 Quite a few services have been reduced over the years which means they cant do
what they want to do and I dont get as many opportunities
97 Yes outreach it made me a bit sad and unhappy


We asked: Do you think that services for people with
Learning Disabilities should be cut?
Number of responses from service users:
Yes 0
No 97






19


Section 2: responses from family carers
We asked: What services does the person that you care for get
now:
day centre 14
support worker 11
social group or club 9
supported housing 2
residential care 2
other services
mentioned:
Cycling, swimming, horse riding. respite, occasional workshop


We asked: how do these services help the person you care
for?
Carers responses
1 The day centre is vitally important along with the Markfield Monday club and
courses provided in the borough. Without their vital services adults with
Learning Disabilities cannot improve their skills or socialise. The Monday club
provides an opportunity for my daughter to socialise with others and art
classes provide her with a lot of confidence
2 Helps with socialising
3 To learn new skills, keep healthy and socialise
5 Help to socialise, to keep healthy and safe, to learn new skills, to become
more confident and independent. Better quality of life
6 Likes meeting people and friends, going out shopping, outing at seaside &
different locations, keep fit, art and photography
7 Mencap helps my son keep healthy, learn new skills, social life and gives a
good quality of life
8 The personal budget helps a lot, as otherwise my daughter would not be able
to pay for a support worker to socialise, keep healthy and generally go out
and about
9 Enables young person with autism to accept support from someone other
than family
10 These services are absolutely crucial to help him to socialise get out of the
house and learn new skills, exercise, his mental and physical well being all
depend on day centre and being a part of society
11 My brother goes to the placement at Green pepper caf in Wolves Lane and
the day centres when he is not able to go there or his other placement. He
attends social clubs. He enjoys this and he would be socially isolated without
it
12 They get the chance to mix with others people who are not family and it is
good for them
13 It helps him socialise, keep healthy, learn new skills, reduce isolation and
challenging behaviour
14 The services help him to socialise, learn new skills, communicate with sign
language, learn to be away from home and be more independent
15 Learning independence, participation in the community, living skills
16 Help to socialise with other students. Help to maintain good health by diet and
regular exercise
20

17 All of these things help my son in his everyday life and he always wants to be
out
18 Travel mate takes the cared for person out. Help cooking, cleaning,
socialising, gaining self confidence to live independently
19 The communication workshop is the only support my sister gets. She has
attended 2 full courses that last between 4 to 6 weeks each. This is the
second year and she enjoys going
20 Help to socialise, but she hasnt learned any new skills
21 The services help my son to socialise and also to communicate with his peers
22 It helps him socialise because he cant make friends. Keep him healthy and
outings. Learning life and new skills. I have got a good network with those
working with him
23 Helps him to socialise and keep busy
24 We receive a personal healthcare budget from the CCG to enable us to
support our son (severe autism and bowel disease) at home, ie 2-to-1 care
weekdays 3.30-8.30 pm on returning from college and weekends 10-6 pm.
care meets his basic needs for food, preparing food according to restricted
diet, toileting and washing, engaging in activities, talking out to local parks
and social clubs, or on car drives, prepare & admin medications, accompany
hospital appointments, restraining self-injurious and aggressive behaviours,
support communication needs, accompanying on short breaks and family
holidays.
27 Basic care is provided



We asked: How do these services help you as a carer?
Carers responses
1 In order for my daughter to develop friendships with others and improve her
independence and confidence. It may mean that she would be indoors a lot
more and socially isolated
2 I am happy with the support I get
3 Help me to take a break
4 It should help me get the help/ rest deserved
5 Respite for myself. Freedom from knowing I am not alone in caring for my son.
Better quality of life
6 It gives me a break as I am a single parent. I can do my own classes, go out
meet friends
7 I do not need to find care for my son and I am able to have some quality of life
for myself
8 When my daughter goes out with a support worker I get a respite from my
caring duties and I can pursue my interests
9 Its my respite
10 I would simply not be able to care for him if he wasnt attending day care. It
gives me time to recoup my strength and carry on caring for him for the rest of
the day and weekends
11 My brother is well cared for by the services. I am amazed by all the service
givers and the support we receive. It puts my mind at rest that my brother has a
caring structure in his life
12 My daughter will not go to respite, so it gives me a chance to get things done
like doctors, dentist, shopping, and get a rest until she comes home
13 Oh yes I want to have a life outside of my caring role. These services give me
21

time for myself & to care for my other children. They help take my mind off
things
14 They give me time for myself so I can do what I need for myself
15 Relieves me of total responsibility, though I sill have responsibility to make sure
it works, and my son visits every weekend
16 Helps to maintain a good relationship as parents. Help to reduce costs as we
are pensioners
17 This gives me time to do all the things that I need to do and look after my family
and my other disabled son
19 The communication workshops are the only support I get towards caring for my
sister. Just knowing she is interacting with others and learning to communicate
better is helpful for both of us
20 Having my daughter in residential care certainly does help, but I was
disappointed that her day centre attendance was stopped when she went into
residential care. I am hoping that in her new care home which I believe is less
expensive this may start again
21 It helps me to have time for myself as well as spending time with his siblings
22 It has extended my life because of the bad health I have incurred and hospital
visits
23 It gives me peace of mind that he is enjoying himself
24 This reduces care placed on us as parents, allows us to do shopping and
domestic tasks, and enjoy some respite.
27 I am unable to provide the care my son needs and so basic care is provided


We asked: How would it affect you, and the person you care
for, if you did not have these services?
Carers responses
1 In the UK adults with Learning Disabilities do not have opportunities to gain
employment skills, life skills and independence skills to gain confidence. As we
get older we may be unable to take out daughter out so would mean she may
become socially isolated and despondent. We are very grateful for the day
services in Haringey and the Markfield Project for their great service
2 I would be helpless. My daughter would be disappointed for lack of socialising
3 It would affect our social life and also affect the user learning skills and health
4 terribly
5 We would become very frustrated, bored, depressed, exhausted and feel
trapped and our quality of life would diminish
6 I will be housebound, will have to take him with me and none of us will enjoy
7 It would affect both of our quality of life, reduce his social life, unable to learn
new skills
8 I would be overworked and I would not get any free time for myself. My
daughter would be housebound and bored and would not have any interaction
with her friends
9 Young person only able to be supported by family. As a carer become
exhausted and lose friends
10 It would devastate our whole family as we would not be able to care for our son
and he would be extremely unhappy and would have a devastating effect on
him
11 I will be unhappy that he did not have the placements and clubs
12 Im sure we would be stuck in the house most days as she does not like mixing
much with people and would only stay out about 1 hour or so. The day centre
is good for her
22

13 I will probably give up my job. My mental and physical health will suffer. I will
become completely isolated and never be able to do any other thing.
14 Very badly. We would lose the ability for him to socialise, and a lot more
15 He would need more expensive care (residential). He would get depressed and
challenging and would need more drugs
16 Breakdown in relationships with parents especially when there is verbal and
physical abuse every day at home. Ill health
17 We would be very upset without these services
18 Carers have to find extra time to look after their cared for. Carers getting old
19 I feel it would be taking us many steps backwards without any support. My
sister needs to be able to build up confidence around communicating with
others long term, attending these workshops, even for 6 weeks each year is
better than nothing
20 I would be most disappointed and upset if my daughter did not have these
services. She needs to have proper structured and meaningful activities, which
for some time the social services have not provided
21 It would affect him a great deal because he has been going to the centre since
he was a child and the progress he has made is great. His challenging
behaviour will increase. I will not be able to rest or have time for myself and
spending time with his siblings
22 My health will be worse. In fact I will have no life at all
23 It would be difficult for me as it would be hard to juggle all the household
chores whilst taking care of him
24 All his support needs would fall on us his parents. We would not be able to
carry the full load of care which would have to pass to other care sectors such
as supported living or residential.
27 I would not be able to cope with looking after my son full-time


We asked carers: Does the person you care for get enough of
the right services now?
Carers responses
1 No there was a cookery class recently that was closed down. This means less
opportunities for my daughter to develop skills for independence. Also classes
such as handing money handwriting classes and day to day life skills classes
would be significantly beneficial
2 Yes she does
3 yes
4 No they dont get social groups and clubs
5 At the moment they do (get enough support) but we are worried about cuts on
rates for support workers and quality of care also various therapies such as
Speech and language therapy and occupational therapy are not available
6 yes
7 He used to attend a social club in the evenings, however due to cuts to the
service he no longer attends. Would like that service again
8 Yes my daughter does get enough of the right services as she has a personal
budget
9 Need more social interactions
10 yes
11 Yes he receives excellent ongoing care I cant fault it
13 No he does not get enough. |He needs help with personal care all day. He
needs an assistant to wait his bus in the morning and after school. He needs
23

money to socialise
14 Yes I am pleased with the services
15 Not enough facilities in the community for people with severe Learning
Disabilities. Often there is nowhere to go. Some services cost more than he
can afford. Have to stay at home gets frustrated and depressed
16 Yes my son seems to be getting the right services at the moment. But there is
a long way to go
17 I think we get the right service that I know of, but I would love to have more
help for my son he is very hard work when he is at home hitting and slapping
himself
18 Not enough services available which the cared for person needs. Eg. day
care, help cooking & cleaning
19 No. My sister has not had any real support since she was a teenager. I have
tried in the past to acquire a social worker to support and fight her corner, but
I was told because of cutbacks theres not much available
20 No she definitely needs more structured day activities and ones that she or
we as parents do not have to pay for. This should be included in what the
council is paying for her care as she does not have a personal budget and
has to contribute most of her ESA benefit to the council
21 Yes he does
22 For now yes
23 yes
24 No. His care & support plan lists early morning care 7-9 am weekdays which
he does to receive. His provision does not include college holidays care
when he needs care all day and respite breaks to support parents have
overnight breaks (we have had only two nights respite in last 2 years). Nor
does it include care for self-help tasks he cannot perform himself such as
cooking, laundering, cleaning the rooms he and his carers use. These care
needs fall on his parents.
He receives no Speech therapy or Occupational therapy support.
27 I do not believe my son receives the right care . Socially he needs more
interaction. He needs to be stimulated mentally and physically. I feel with
better care and support my son would have progressed further.



We asked: How have cuts or reductions in services affected
you?
Carers responses
1 Cooking classes were cut that were running in Winkfield Road centre which
were very good. Also the Keston day centre closed and my daughter was shifted
numerously to different services. More funding is required to provide day
services and stop cuts
4 Not sure
5 Various clubs due to funding. Difficulty finding activities that my son likes and
can access making life difficult for him
7 Used to attend social club in the evening, but due to cuts he no longer attends
9 Community care team
11 Transport has been cut to people going to Unity 70 club. They are my brothers
friends. These friends need transport as they cant afford private transport. And
its a sadness to see them without it as it enhances their life
12 Well the (Council day centre) where my daughter goes has far too many service
users and staff in a small building. This is because of cuts having to give
24

buildings up because of cuts
13 He no longer has enough place at Markfield. & cannot afford Team spirit
14 Respite has been cut. It means less independence and socialising for him and
less me time for me
15 Staff are paid less. There is a greater staff turnover and people without
experience. They leave because of pressure
16 Yes it took a long time and a lot of effort to obtain the service. It has caused a lot
of stress and anxiety
17 Yes his support work - which is now being looked into by social worker
18 Do not know yet
20 I have seen my daughters behaviour regress because she does not have the
activities and has been more difficult to handle when she comes home. It is very
wrong that someone of her age (25) has not had proper assessed day activities.
The independent care home where my daughter lives, funded by Haringey
Council, has cut their staffing levels. The manager of the care home told me that
this was partly because of funding cuts. The care home pays very low wages to
their support staff (less than 7 per hour). One of the other residents used to get
two-to-one support, but this has been reduced to one-to-one support. There was
a very bad incident recently when I was visiting my daughter at the care home.
This other resident was not being adequately supervised there was no staff
member at all looking after her - and she became very distressed and physically
attacked and severely injured me so badly that I needed hospital treatment. This
incident has been reported to the Haringey adults safeguarding team, but I have
not heard back from them.
24 The CCG agreed a package of 110 hours a week in February 2013 but failed to
deliver this. In May 13 (three months later) we decommissioned the support
provider. This was used as justification to reassess his needs (which were found
not to have reduced) and give us 100 hours in July 13. We are currently
disputing this the present package.
26 They have made several cuts to the centre my son attends which have impacted
on the care provided.


We asked: Do you think that services for people with
Learning Disabilities should be cut?
Number of responses from carers:
Yes 0
No 26


Additional comments from carers
1 Day services are vital in Haringey for those vulnerable individuals living in the
borough. Continuously the borough has cut services for this group and cuts
can be saved elsewhere in the borough. They are extremely vital for carers
and adults with Learning Disabilities
5 These cuts are discriminating against the most vulnerable and at risk
members of society and are unacceptable.
9 Very frightened that yet more services will be cut
10 These services are an absolute lifeline for us. Without them our whole family
would be devastated
11 We have all enjoyed these lovely services that are essential to us all
13 I need someone to come and assess my sons needs and mine as a carer
14 They should not cut services for these people because they are vulnerable
25

and need more help
17 They should not cut any services for the disabled people at all its not right
18 Benefits must not be cut. It should remain as it is, not increased
19 Why is it that nothing changes. The vulnerable are always the first to suffer
govt cutbacks, excuses and empty promises for change and improvement
20 Individual assessments should be made of each service. It is wrong that we
as parents were expected to pay for her day activities. If we had not done this
she used to have to lounge around watching TV all day which would have
been totally unacceptable. Social services showed complete indifference to
this situation. The council has little interest once service users are placed in
residential care. Very few checks are made on what is happening in these
homes and even when there is a safeguarding issue social workers are slow
to respond. Annual reviews are frequently months late and there is little follow
up re recommendations.
21 Even though my son gets enough of the right services if they reduce the
service in the future it will affect him and me by him taking out his frustrations
on me
24 We have experienced cuts in his care plan which are illegal and breach
s47(1) NHS & Community Care Act 1990 in that there have been no changes
in his needs that justify reducing the hours in his care plan.
25 My son has ASD, ADHD, bi-polar, severe anxiety disorder. 24 hours
supported living care, shared at night with one other service user.
It takes my son a tremendously long time to get used to a new support
worker, often 3 or 4 months of severe tantrumming and distress. However
once he is used to someone, he becomes very attached. His team has been
entirely consistent since they began work with him and this has been
essential to the progress he has since made. Future cuts that may get made
to the support workers pay will result in most of them leaving.
They are quite clear about the fact that they cannot get by on less.
The impact of starting again with what would likely be less educated and
caring people is the stuff of my nightmares and I think would likely end up with
my son back in a secure psychiatric provision, ultimately costing much more
and ruining lives.
26 I feel that more services should be provided so that people with disabilities
can have a much better life and become more independent. I would like to
see more than the basic care being given.


Section 3: Responses from staff
The staff who responded to the survey were from a range of different organisations
that provide services: including Haringey Council, voluntary sector and private sector
organisations.

We asked: Are you aware of any cuts or reductions to
services for adults with Learning Disabilities?
Staff responses
1 Its terrible. Theres nothing for the service users to do or spend their time.
Every year or so there are more cuts
26

2 yes
3 Yes, lots of homes, day centres
4 Yes: cuts throughout all areas: staff, social workers, OT
5 No I wasnt aware
6 I do understand and am aware of cuts to these services, however I am not
aware of specific centres/areas that will be affected
7 yes
8 yes
9 Yes many activities that enrich the lives of people with LD are now not being
funded
10 Yes activities that were being funded have been cut
11 Yes I am aware that Haringey Council are making cuts
12 Yes this is constant. I was told by the commissioner at Haringey (name
withheld) that he is not interested in a five star service.

One client in particular, the cuts have been so stringent that we cannot now
continue supporting her in her own accommodation. I have reported the same
to Social Services and they have called for a Health re-assessment ie. trying
to get the CCG to take over her funding. Nobody from Health have contact us.

I have made it clear to Social Services that we would need to move her into
shared accommodation.

A consultant from Haringey came to cut our funding using the Care Funding
Calculator the assumption used on the calculator is that we pay staff
7.07per hour. When we informed him that we are currently paying our staff
way above what they are proposing, he re-did his costings on the calculator to
show that we should reduce our fees by a thousand pounds per week.

It was only upon close scrutiny that I noticed that he had achieved this by
DECEIT ie. by reducing the number of hours provided to the client but
keeping quiet about it. The good news is that this consultant is not around
anymore.
13 I have heard that there might be some cut backs to support services
14 Several of the projects in our work have had to have reduced support hours
15 Yes colleagues, staff I know working for Haringey Social services
18 My service user needs more service than she got before. But the cut in hours
has an impact on her daily life
19 Yes for the last few years services supporting people with learning disabilities
has been experiencing massive cuts
20 Yes colleagues, media
22 I have heard this from our managers
23 Yes. When any review / assessment meeting is arranged by social services re
service users the local authority are always looking for ways to make
cuts/reduction. The culture of review/assessment has changed in the last few
years. Local authority are more interested to cut money/hours rather than
listening to the needs of service users or staff
24 yes
25 I was informed by the manager
26 Yes I have heard about cuts the government has announced more cuts are
on the way. But this will make more misery for people who are using the
services
29 Yes I have been informed by duty social workers from the Learning
27

Disabilities team when they did a review with my service users
30 I am aware of the cuts for adults with LD
32 Yes I am aware of cuts through discussions with managers in three
organisations I work with, and with families whose children I work with
34 I have been made aware by my employer that cuts are happening and are
ongoing
35 Yes I am really aware of cuts in my workplace now and before. I am affected
too
36 Some placements are shutting down, most of the clients are not given proper
support. Most of the clients are not being cared for by skilled and professional
workers
37 Yes they are reducing our shifts
38 Our company was telling us the last few months they are going to cut our
hours
39 Yes the last couple of months we are hearing this kind of news which is not
good
43 Yes for the past 2 years clients budgeted hours have been drastically
changing and this has had a drastic impact on both clients and support
workers
44 yes
45 Yes Im aware of upcoming reductions as I have participated in my clients
benefit reviews. From the way they discuss it with senior staff they seem to be
trying to cut down the money they spend on our clients
46 Yes quite often at team meetings
47 Yes often social services cut down the budget for service users
48 Yes often discussed with my peers in the health sector
50 Yes I am aware of benefit reductions to adults with LD in my workplace as
well as some other organisations and care homes
53 Yes for the past few years services for supporting people with learning
disabilities have been experiencing massive cuts
55 Yes for the last few years the council have been reducing both support hours
for disabled people as well as funding
56 Yes hours have been cut down. Care for service users is being neglected.
Service users needs are no longer seen as a priority
57 Support hours have been reduced by a couple of hours a day. Day to day
resources are tight as well.
58 Support hours are being reduced
60 Hours have been reduced.
61 Yes I am aware of and have personal experience of cuts to LD day services.
Staff have been cut, staffing levels have been reduced. Minibuses have been
cut, there are less minibuses available to transport service users. Money for
activities and equipment has been cut
62 There have been staff reductions in the service I work in as staff leave they
are not replaced. Spending on food has been reduced.
63 Yes I have heard from managers that commissioning managers at Haringey
want us to provide more for the same amount of people. Though this does not
cut the total amount of money the end result IS a cut as the pot of money is
divided by fewer people meaning less money to provide the service per
person.

I have also heard directly from parents that the numbers of staff members
have been reduced in certain care provisions, with specific examples of
serious safeguarding issues as a result.
28


I have also heard that certain care providers have cut staff wages which
belittles caring work one of the most important and precious professions in
our society.
I work with our young people reaching 18 and transitioning from children to
adult services. The team that manages the transitions are clearly understaffed
as assessments frequently do not occur until well AFTER the young people
have turned 18years old. If it does happen before it is almost always because
the young person has a parent that is on the ball enough to fight and push to
get it done. I have worked directly with several young people or supported
parents of young people through our 18+ parent carers forum whos services
have stopped when they reached 18yrs because their budget was not yet in
place. This has caused considerable stress and anxiety for parents and young
people who go from having regular services to nothing. Often this feels much
like a stalling tactic to delay delivering a personal budget. When budget are
put in place the services that are provided are often less than the young
person had previously been receiving, for example I have seen the number of
hours of respite care reduced meaning extra caring is put on the parents.


We asked: tell us about the effects of these cuts on service
users
Staff responses
1 Service users need activities to keep stimulated
2 Some of the service users lose their hours. People with Learning Disabilities
are losing out and sometimes they stop going to day centres because of
these cuts
3 Service users have to travel far which affects them. Not only have they lost
their homes and day centres they also lost their independence
4 Less time spent with professionals
6 Service users are affected but cuts taking a toll on extra leisure activities and
overall well-being
7 Loss of day centres, homes, carers, quality of life will decrease
8 Some service users will lose their day centres and their quality of life will
decrease
9 A lack of meaningful activities can lead to reduced levels of general health
and well being and social isolation
10 They find it difficult to understand why activities have been taken away from
them. They feel rejected and frustrated. Their well being suffers as well as
their social lives
11 Could result in much more limited services, thus not being able to meet the
needs of service users and clients
12 The quality of support provided to our clients has a direct correlation to two
things
What we pay our frontline support staff
How well the staff are supported

In my role I sometimes help out with recruitment. We recently did an Open
Day and twenty people turned up. This recruitment was targeted for a
particular service user and under the circumstances, we involved his mother
in the recruitment. At the end of the Open Day her exact words to us was I
would not let any of todays lot even look after my dog.

29

This is not being derogatory to staff in any way but that appears to be the
quality of most of the people that the Job Centres are sending these days.

Even if we paid staff 10 per hour, they would only perform if there are
sufficiently robust support structures in place. Unfortunately, the myth that you
could pick someone from the Job Centre and give them two days training in
Food Hygiene, Manual Handling etc and the staff can be set free to work
without supervision managing very complex people.

If this is the expectation, then there is another Winterbourne waiting to
happen!!!
13 Less support will affect service users with the amount of time they need to
sort out complicated housing matters, repairs, benefits
14 They get less support hours and have to use their individual budgets to get
support, meaning if a service user has issues it will be dealt with on their
support day, whereas before staff on shift would have supported all residents
daily as part of the shift
15 When cuts occur this usually means staffing levels in services are cut. This
impacts greatly on service users having a social life. Ive experienced
individual choice becoming group choice. Ive see service users becoming
extremely distressed due to being confined to the home too long. The quality
of service for the service user reduces
16 Service users social life is affected as there are usually staff cuts
17 It impacts greatly on service users having a social life.
18 We reduce the service user activity and outdoor activity. Sometimes my
service user needs 2 people when she becomes agitated
19 Service users are at risk. One staff cannot look after more than one service
user at a time. Service users needs are not being met. Service users health
and safety are in jeopardy
20 Staffing levels cut this impacts on service users social life
21 It may affect well being of service users, impact on daily lifestyle
22 Service users have less outdoor activities, social life. It will also mean they
have low quality service from the carers or support workers who are also
affected by the cuts (demotivated staff will surely have poor quality of service.
Service users will have less access to community facilities like community
centres, leisure centres, etc
23 Our service users need/want choice. Their wants/choice and desire seem
unimportant ton the local authority. I doubt whether the local authority is
meeting everyones needs effectively as cost seems to be the most important
subject. For example where service users need two to one support the local
authority is pushing is to do with one to one support. Insufficient support can
potentially put the staff and the public at risk
24 The service users we support are vulnerable clients who need lots of support
and prompting. If cuts are implemented the quality of support they receive will
be decreased and that will affect their emotional and general well being
25 Our service users are vulnerable adults, most of them need 24hr support for
their living. If the council is going to cut its services (it means reduce hours of
support) it mainly affects the service users lives
26 The service users are already in a difficult position with the cuts done in
previous years
27 Talking about cuts doesnt make any sense. I have been supporting many
clients for many years. They are becoming more difficult to support instead
of increasing support they are talking about cuts and less hours with clients
30

28 The service users we support are vulnerable adults and they do need day to
day support to enhance their daily living skills, ie. budgeting, cooking,
cleaning the house and also to support more complex needs such as their
medication, medical appointments. If cuts are implemented and the number of
hours we work with clients can be reduced and as a result staff wont have
time to do more meaningful outdoor and functional activities with the service
users. This will have a negative impact on our clients life and make them
more anxious and unsettled.
29 Some cuts have already started taking effect at my workplace. It has a great
effect on my service users as the hours have been reduced and my service
users do not get the same 1:1 support, especially as my clients medical and
physical needs have been getting more complex over the last couple of years
30 The cuts will definitely have a negative impact on service users. Years of hard
work of support teams will be wasted
31 It means the services they use will be limited, ie. day centres where they get a
chance to meet friends and socialise and also do group activities together
32 Reduction in services will impact negatively on the quality of life of service
users. Individuals will have less to do to stimulate them. I believe there will be
an increase in the level of anxiety and stress of service users and thus a
regression in their general health. As such this will defeat the essence of the
cut in the first place as more medical provisions will have to be made to repair
the damage that will have been brought about by the cut
33 It means that vulnerable adults will not get the support they need. Valuable
facilities that they use will no longer be available. This will be to the detriment
of the service users and their families
34 The service users are getting less time and attention which means they feel
less supported and increases their stress and anxiety levels. Their quality of
life will decrease considerably, including their health and social development.
These cuts will have a big impact on service users and in turn society as a
whole
35 The are getting worse. They are not happy. They may get more illness, they
dont have any social activities which they may need
36 Clients are restricted limited social activities. They are deprived of their
rights due tom limited staff to support them. Unpleasant behaviours of clients
become more prominent due to (high staff turnover)
37 Service users have limited choice. They dont have a happy life.
38 They cannot do any activities of their own choice. Service users life will be
dangerous. They will be stuck in one place. It will affect their life as they could
become more disabled
39 We cannot provide the activities which service users like most cinema,
swim, etc
40 Reduced freedom of choice for clients for instance if our client wants to go
out in the community and only one support staff is present we are really
forced to decline their request.
41 With less money it is difficult to spend money to buy what they like. With
better funding it will help to have a normal life as anyone else
43 By reducing both hours and finance for service users all service users are
being limited in their activities (going out, day centres). Reducing their quality
of life
44 The company will find it harder to recruit qualified staff and the quality of
services will decrease. Staff leave the job because of these cuts. Clients will
become more vulnerable
45 These cuts will have a big impact on our clients we will have to cut down on
31

the activities we do to give them an ordinary life. It could even be a risk to
their safety
46 Local authority is denying their independence. Local authority is reducing their
quality of life. Lack of stability in their lives and well being, uncertain future
47 Service users will be denied their wish to live everyday lives independently
and they will have to be forced to live with their parents into old age. This is
also unfair on their parents. Our service users got used to expecting support
to be able to go out and have a good day or good quality of life, this is being
pulled away from them
48 We need to treat service users like other people. They should get a right to
enjoy their life with support. Cuts will affect the meaning of their life
49 Limited choice. Not having enough support to be able to explore their
capabilities in life
50 Higher concerns for the safety of our clients. The lack of vital measures for
making sure that people with LD have their care tailored to their needs
51 Activities and facilities being reduced. Carrying their lives in narrow boundary
which makes them more anxious and unstable
52 They may get unhealthy. They dont have social activities
53 Unable to meet their needs and desires in life, limited choice
54 Service users are at risk. Staff cannot look after more than one or two clients
at a time. Service users health & safety are in jeopardy
55 Service users are being deprived of their lifestyle. Service users cant do daily
activities like day centre, outings, hence leads to service users staying at
home.
56 Activities for service users are more and more scarce. There is not enough
money for them to go out. they have to stay at home most of the time and are
being deprived of the things they want to have such as personal stuff that they
cant afford to buy
57 Staff have to do a lot of compromises when it comes to users needs and likes.
Their choices cant be met
58 Earlier there were two staff working all the day time. Now its being reduced,
and means that there are less hours to go out and do activities with them
59 They have to reduce activities, choices. If they want to buy something if we
havent enough money we cant give it to them
60 Where before we had 2 staff until 10pm now we have 2 staff until 7pm. That
means that service users cant have an evening out of the house. It changes
their psychology when they ask why cant they go out after 7. Residents are
feeling they are being let down by their carers
61 Some sessions/activities have been cut, not gone ahead. Service users are
having their routines changed regularly. Service users cant always do the
activity of their choice. Service users are sometimes in more crowded
environments as services double up or are shared. A Council day centre was
shut for a few weeks in 2013 due to staff shortages
62 Having less staff makes it harder to give service users good sessions and
outings. Spending less on food means the nutritional value of the food is not
as good more processed and tinned food instead of fresh.
63 The two most significant ways that service users are affected is;
Firstly loss of services as they/ the provision do not have sufficient money to
pay for/provide a service. This leads to increased isolation, increased mental
health issues and increased pressure on parent carers. I personally am
continuing to support service users through mental health issues after the
upset and stress of loosing services.
Secondly service users are affected by the reduction in quality of services.
32

For example staff wage reductions mean the best staff are not retained,
instead they are replaced with staff by staff with low motivation and lack of
skills and experience. Often staff are agency staff who can change frequently.
Our service users often have complex needs that need experienced, highly
trained, highly motivated consistent staff to allow them to develop trust and
relationships and be active, meaningful participants in society. Caring MUST
be treated as a highly skilled profession rather than as a menial task that any
one can do-they cant!


We asked: How have the cuts affected the staff who work in
these services?
Staff responses
1 Staff are just here for a wage. When most people finish work the service
users are out of sight out of mind
2 By cutting the funding the day centres will close down and the staff will lose
their jobs
3 Worrying about losing your job. It affects the way you perform
4 Staff morale is low. Time spent with clients, contact with other professionals is
limited
5 Pay cuts, potential training
6 Staff have been affected by not having a pay increase in relation to inflation
7 Make redundant, working longer hours for some members of staff
8 Some staff will lose their jobs and other members will have to work longer
hours or less hours
10 Staff have had their hours reduced or / and not had their contracts renewed.
Also existing staff now have to work with less resources but still deliver a high
standard of care
11 Jobs threatened. Less provision for clients
12 So far we have not had to reduce our staff wages as yet BUT having said that
one of the bigger providers in the Borough has sent out a circular to reduce all
their frontline support staff wages to 7.70 per hour. I understand that there is
a lot of resistance to this BUT if the management get their way, then I can see
a domino effect rippling throughout Haringey and we can certainly hear
Commissioners heralding Well if so and so can do then you too can do it.
13 It can get frustrating and stressful
14 Staff in these projects now have reduced working hours. There has been
several managers and service directors who had redundancy. Reduced
working hours mean less money especially bank staff. Some permanent staff
have lost contracts and moved to bank work
15 Workload increases which in turn can cause stress and increase in staff
sickness. Staff cannot always give service users a good quality of service. No
salary increase as the cost of living goes up. Staff can become demotivated.
Low salary means that some organisations have to employ people who are
not qualified for the job as qualified people will seek out a higher income.
16 No increase in salary, increased workload, demotivated staff
17 Workload increases, causes stress, no salary increase with cost of living.
Leads to staff being demotivated
18 Increased workload, less income, impact on your family and social life, less
income means you are demotivated
19 Staff are working under immense pressure to meet daily targets. The same
amount of job tasks are expected to be completed in less hours. One staff is
working with more than one client at a time.
33

20 Workload increases. No pay increase
21 Increase of workload of individual staff
22 More risk to staff specifically for those who work in mental care or work for
people with challenging behaviour, especially when staffing levels are cut
down. Staff have more workload leading to staff being stressed out and at
worst becoming sick. This will affect the quality of work risking the well being
of the service user as well as the staff. Less income for staff would mean
lower quality of life affecting staff well being and health
23 We have not received any increase in our wages over the last few years and
the reason always is cuts/reductions. The amount of risk and anxiety we take
in looking after our service users is not valued by the local authority and feel
unappreciated. Daily cost of living has gone up greatly and this is not reflected
in our wages. Some experienced staff have already left for a better life, and
some are considering leaving as some high st shops pay better than care
home or supported living. If skilled staff continue to leave then service users
will become more vulnerable
24 At the moment the wages we are getting is not enough for the hard work and
risk we take. If cuts are implemented then that means the chances of having a
pay rise will be reduced and also the amount of hours we work can be
reduced
25 If cuts are implemented the employer has to reduce staff working hours, it
affects staff wages. Sometimes we work with very difficult clients and so this
job is responsible
26 It has been a very long time with no pay rise for people who work in the
service
27 Obviously the reduced working hours will affect staff and clients. Clients will
get less care and support. In the end staff leave the job.
28 If cuts are implemented the number of hours staff work will be reduced and
that will affect staff wages, and also the pay we get does not justify the work
we do, ie. some clients express very difficult behaviour. Our job satisfaction
and motivation is very low as we think that we have not been paid enough for
the hard work we do.
29 Increased pressure to meet deadlines. Feeling frustrated at the amount of
work and responsibilities that we have as support workers and the pay we get
does not do justice. And having to work with the constant reminder that there
will be more and more cuts
30 Less money means less hours for the staff. The training provided will probably
be affected too. Service users will be supported by insufficiently trained staff
which may even put their lives at risk
31 The wages are not enough for the hard work and risk
32 Since staff may be required to work longer hours for less pay staffs ability to
provide the same good quality of services will be reduced. We are presently
struggling with the increase in inflation that has no commensurate increase in
pay and are finding it extremely hard to meet out financial commitments to
ourselves and our families. A further reduction in pay will greatly affect our
ability to provide good services. As the saying goes: If you pay peanuts
wages you get monkeys as workers
33 Staff will have less hours to work which will affect their pay
34 If hours are cut staff have to provide the same service in less time which is
practically impossible. It means their job becomes more stressful. We have to
be more rushed which creates tension in the workplace between staff and
service users find it extremely hard /impossible to understand the complexity
of the situation which can easily manifest as anxiety, stress or verbal/physical
34

outbursts. Staff have to work more hours to earn the same amount of money
and feel exhausted and frustrated.
35 Staff will find another job
36 Staff are not satisfied and happy to do the work. Cost of living is high but
compensation is not sufficient. The output, quality of care is poor, worrying for
financial basics
37 It is already affecting us. We didnt get any wages increment for four years
38 It has affected our income and we are feeling frustration and deprivation.
They are looking for other jobs
39 Staff are already facing problems. I have worked for this company for 6 years
and not getting any salary increment
40 As support staff we go through a lot of risks every day. We feel that our
wages must increase. I feel unappreciated by the local authority. The cost of
living goes higher every year but our wages dont increase which is unfair.
The skills we gain from this work should be appreciated by the local authority.
This is not an easy job at all.
41 Support hours have been cut and we didnt get any increments for the last few
years
42 The hours have been cut
43 Staff are being pressurised to work with more responsibilities and with no
motivation factor leading to staff losing interest in performing tasks and start
looking for other jobs. Support workers go unnoticed despite all their hard
work
44 Staff shortages which leads to more pressure at work
45 This will be a big impact on the staff in finances and job security. It can make
the staffs job difficult and risky
46 As a staff member our clients have complex needs and solutions to the
causes of their anxiety outbursts one way of helping them is that we take time
to know them and establish a good rapport. The consequence of the cuts is
that we can no longer help them in the way they need to be helped which is
heartbreaking. Another point is that the wages do not meet the cost of living
we are struggling
47 We will be forced to look for better paying jobs. The risks of this job is not
appreciated by the local authority
48 We cant give them enough support. As staff we have a lot of responsibilities
49 Lack of motivation due to poor wages. High rate of turnover
50 Skilled workers who have gained experience and mastered different
approaches to cater for our clients will be forced to look for better paying and
appreciated jobs
51 Staff shortage. Restricted working environment, less concentration at work
52 Increased turnover, less motivation. Staff quite reluctant to adopt new ideas
as their hard work is unnoticed. Quite a depressing situation as cost of living
is getting higher and staff wages remain constant
54 Staff working under immense pressure to meet daily targets
55 Staff are always working under pressure to deliver best services, however
they are always ignored. Staff facing more workload on a daily basis.
56 Staff give their very best in supporting service users. There has been no pay
rise for years due to funding reductions. Working with service users is not
easy. The patience, risk and hard work that staff give themselves is not
appreciated & rewarded.
57 Its really difficult for staff to keep the service users choices and needs fulfilled.
This leads to behavioural changes in service users which makes it more
difficult for staff
35

58 No of working hours are being reduced which affects staff wages
60 To be a carer means you should have the capacity to provide service users
with a positive vibe and psychological support. When the hours or wages get
cut the stress of everyday life kicks in.
61 Team meetings dont occur in my service. Monthly supervisions occur 6-
monthly, due to not being able to leave the service, being needed in service.
Health & safety is compromised staff have too many service users to work
with. Some minibuses drive service users without escorts. Staff stress levels
and work satisfaction have been adversely affected
62 I feel a lot less motivated and negative. Tired.
63 Staff in different care providers have had reductions in pay. This decreases
moral and belittles the profession. Aside of this it is painful for staff to have to
watch anyone go without services and the upset it causes them, or to watch
parents struggling to get help.


Do you think that services for people with Learning
Disabilities should be cut?
Number of responses from staff:
Yes 0
No 66


Additional comments from staff
2 These cuts will not result in any savings because staff who work with people
with Learning Disabilities will end up losing their jobs. The government will
end up losing more money because these people will go on benefits, they will
be jobless.
3 Will it make any difference?
4 Cuts to areas within LD services will have a great impact to users, affect
home, social and emotional lives
7 I feel like they no longer care about people with Learning Disabilities
8 Will my opinion really matter? People will do what they want regardless of
people in a lower position
11 Do these cuts result in any real savings
12 Commissioners who speak openly about not wanting a five star service in
Haringey should be hounded out of the Borough I am not sure if it is a
disciplinary offence???
13 Vulnerable people should not be targeted with cuts as support is essential to
living independently
19 Lives of service users are at stake, under the amount of cuts, impacting
negatively on the health and safety of service users. I am currently planning to
leave this job and find something else.
21 More cuts from the government especially in the healthcare sector would
mean low quality service that will have a huge impact on service users safety
and well being. Less motivated staff would result in deficit of qualified support
workers, carers or nurses
23 I hope the local authority takes our views seriously. I cannot see how further
cuts can help improve the lives of service users and staff
24 I think that implementing cuts on vulnerable adults is not fair as they need a
lot of support to live a quality life. Some service users are very dependent and
they depend on us to help them on a daily basis. Implementing cuts will have
a huge affect on their life.
36

25 As a result of these cuts service users will be neglected
28 It is very sad to see people with learning disabilities are in the middle of these
cuts which means that people have to use services less often, which will
restrict the amount of activities they do in the community
29 Its very sad that service users with learning disabilities and complex needs,
seems that their needs are no longer valued and met as per their initial
assessment when they started to live in their supported accommodations. I
really wonder what will happen to their quality of life in the near future
30 The decisions about cuts must have been made by people who have no idea
about social care. It is outrageous really to see how the most vulnerable of us
will suffer (and there is no doubt that they will) because of someones cold
calculations. I found this decision highly irresponsible and unfair really. Why
the decision makers wont start reducing their salaries instead. If the aim is to
save money why not dig in your own pockets first.
32 I believe cuts can be made in other areas of governance but not with the care
of individuals. Government preaches the need to enhance human dignity a
reduction in services will do just the opposite
33 Vulnerable adults desperately need the current support we provide. Without
the current provisions heavy responsibility falls on the families of service
users to support them with their time and finances
34 Cuts do not benefit anyone but the government and its not fair to service
users or staff. Its hard enough for service users to get by as it is. If they
receive less support their lives will become more difficult and our society will
be worse off for it
35 The people in authority should really focus on the best interests of clients
37 Please stop doing this. It will affect the service users we cant provide good
service and service users dont have a life
38 Please do not make cuts to services for learning disabled. It will make service
users life more difficult
39 Please stop cutting otherwise we will face some big problem like accident,
death. So please stop cutting funds
40 Further cuts will only out our clients in a tough situation and more support
workers will surely leave their jobs because of the lack of appreciation and
low wages
41 Will better funding it will help to give personalised support for clients and they
can have a normal life
42 Improve care sector resources
43 The role of a support worker is basically about supporting people with mental
health, learning disability. If support workers lose their interest in performing
their job the quality of their work will be reduced.
46 The local authority are doing this as a short term solution not considering the
long term. They ignore the critical stages of the individual in their LIFE LONG
disability. Unfair to staff and clients
47 Making these cuts will affect the quality of our clients life as well as our lives
which is truly unjust
48 In my opinion the reductions for service users are nor good for them and the
people who support them
49 Request the local authority reconsider their decision otherwise less hope for
staff and service users for the future
50 Building a good working relationship with clients will be impossible if this
happens
51 Government and organisations should integrate to take care of these issues.
The quality of services/support is getting low which will affect those who have
37

difficulty in surviving everyday life on their own
54 The life of service users is at stake. I am planning to leave the job for
something else
55 The job of a support worker is very challenging as well as being underpaid.
People wont be interested in working in this field
57 If cuts keep happening at this rate the standard of service users lives will be
really really difficult to meet, and then we wont be able to call this a care
home need to invent another name for the service provided.
59 The council shouldnt cut support hours. This job is a very challenging and
responsible one
60 My feeling is that we are going back in time towards the dark ages
61 Service users are not getting the level of service they should due to lack of
resources. Staff morale is low and many expect closure or privatisation over
the next couple of years
62 I have seen service users regress and not get the service they need.
63 This cost cutting approach to care services continues to be incredibly short
sighted with all actions focused on short term outcomes. For example
reducing the amount of respite care provided may save money before this
election but will in the long term increase the pressures on mental health and
residential care as parent carers are pushed to breaking point thus costing
more money. We need recognise that care is an area to invest in to ensure
safe and stimulating services for our most vulnerable.
















38


Appendix
There were 3 versions of the survey questionnaire for service users, carers and
staff.
The survey questions to service users:
(Note: the service user version of the questionnaire was adapted to make it more
accessible with pictures and symbols)
1. What services do you get now?
I go to a day centre
I have a support worker
I go to a social club
I live in supported housing
I live in residential care
I get other services (please say what):
2. Please tell us how the services that you use help you
(For example: I meet my friends, I get help to do my shopping, I get help to
keep healthy.)
3. How would you feel if you did not have these services?
4. Do you get enough support now?
What other services do you need that you do not have?
5. Have any services that you know about been reduced or cut?
If so, please tell us how this has affected you.
6. Do you think that services for people with Learning Disabilities should
be cut? Yes / No
The survey questions to carers:
2. What services and support does the person who you care for get now?
(day centre, support worker, social group or club, supported housing,
residential care, other services)
3. Please tell us how these services help the person you care for (eg. help
to socialise, to keep healthy, to learn new skills)
4. How do these services help you as a carer?
5. How would it affect you, and the person you care for, if you did not have
these services?
6. Does the person you care for get enough of the right services now? If
not please tell us what other services they need but do not get
7. Have any services that you know about been reduced or cut? If so
please tell us how this has affected you
8. Do you think that services for people with Learning Disabilities should
be cut? Yes/ No
9. Do you have any other comments

39

The survey questions to staff:
1. Are you aware of any cuts or reductions to services for adults with
Learning Disabilities, either where you work or elsewhere? Please give
details.
2. Please tell us about the effects of these cuts on service users
3. How have the cuts affected the staff who work in these services?
4. Do you have any other comments about this