This blog was published by the King’s Fund – the introduction is below, with a link at the end to the full blog on the King’s Fund website:
My name is Anne Pridmore and I have a self-organised 24-hour support package. My journey to get this far has been, and still is, very stressful.
I first found myself in need of support (care) in 1984 when my partner of 20 years left me. The local authority, despite being informed of my needs, rang two days before he left to tell me they had no idea how to support me. Initially, I received two 20-minute visits from a home help and in the evening a friend help me into bed. After about six months my friend’s support ended, so a home carer came in the morning to get me up and a district nurse in the evening. I remember on the first day I asked the morning carer to get bread out of the cupboard so I could make toast. She told me that she could not do that, as it was not on my care plan.
