A disabled man says he is 'literally begging' for carers as he cannot afford to pay for the level of care he requires. Imraan Adam, 35, says the council has refused to increase his care payment package.
Derbyshire Live reports that the 35-year-old suffers from cerebral palsy and is unable to walk. He says that he requires more financial help from Derby City Council so that he can maintain the levels of care he needs 24/7.
Mr Adam currently receives £96,600 per year, but feels this is not enough for the daily support that he requires. The Derbyshire resident says he feels “abandoned” and “neglected” by the authority.
He claims the council told him it cannot increase his current care package any further and it has been at the same amount for six years. Mr Adam says no increase in council funding has led to the number of carers looking after him dropping from nine to three in recent years.
This drop-off he claims means that his current carers are having to work over their contracted hours. Speaking last year, Mr Adam said: "I’m finding it more and more difficult to employ the right calibre of carers to meet my needs as what I’m offering as an hourly wage is nowhere near to what the care industry is paying.”
But now almost four months on from those comments, Mr Adam says his situation is getting worse by the day. He says this in part due to recently receiving a letter confirming that his appeal for an increase to his direct care payments was dismissed.
Mr Adam said: “My mental health has been affected massively. I only have three members of contracted staff that do 55 hours a week between them, the rest of my 126 hours a week consists of me having to plead and beg my bank members of staff and even old members of staff to cover.
“I am in a constant state of worry and anxiety about who is going to provide care for me. Even though I have highlighted this point on multiple occasions to Derby City Council I feel like they are ignoring me.
“I feel like they are not taking my case with the importance and seriousness that it deserves. I feel completely abandoned by Derby City Council and I feel like they are neglecting their duty of care towards me.”
The letter from the council states their records show that Mr Adam has been paying his carers “around £10 an hour and considerably more at other times since 2016 which has been some way above the national minimum wage over that period”. It adds: “For this reason we will not be increasing your direct payment rate as requested.”
Mr Adam disputes the allegations made in the letter and claims the funding package he received in 2016 was required to be significantly above the minimum wage following a council-led assessment. A care review meeting between Mr Adam and Derby City Council is scheduled to take place next week – but it is not clear to Mr Adam why a meeting has been arranged.
Derby City Council says it could not comment directly on Mr Adam’s case but said the authority would work with disabled residents to try to resolve problems. A spokesperson for the authority said: “The council is unable to comment on individual cases.
"Any direct payments we make to individuals are based on an assessment of need by one of our social workers. Each assessment is carried out without prejudice and takes into consideration value for money and alternative more cost-effective ways to meet needs.
“We understand the value of direct payments and the flexibility which they provide for some disabled people for social care support. It is in the council’s interest to support people to continue to meet their care needs through a direct payment.
"We work with all disabled residents experiencing difficulties to resolve any problems they may be experiencing. The council recognises that the ongoing cost of living crisis and inflationary costs are placing financial pressure on residents across the city and that this is a worrying time for many.
"We are working with partners throughout the city to provide advice and support to residents.”
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