I’m blind, in a wheelchair & don’t eat for DAYS – I’m in constant fear for my life & council treats me ‘like an animal’
A BLIND and wheelchair-bound man is being left without food for up to a week and treated “like an animal”, he claims.
Jason Worgan, from pontyclun in Wales, alleged he’s lived off a single loaf of bread this week because his social workers abandoned him.
The 54-year-old, who has no family around him, is completely reliant on Rhondda Cynon Taf Council adult social services.
But he claims to be in fear for his life as he’s often left without food.
Jason also alleged he is forced to miss out on medical appointments for several serious health conditions.
He told The Sun: “They’re leaving me without food often, I’ve gone three or four days without food before.
“This week I’ve been living of one loaf of bread, they’ve not been round with food for over a week.
“I’ve also gone weeks without seeing a doctor.
“I can’t get out on my own. They’ve left me on my own with no contact.
“They go on leave and I can’t get to my medical appointments, they put nothing in place.”
The 54-year-old claimed he has tried to complain several times but staff now “put the phone down” on him.
They allegedly told him “I haven’t got time for this Mr Worgan, I’m not going through this with you, I’ve got more important calls to deal with. You’re getting out of hand”.
Jason claimed he managed to get through to the complaints department after 45 minutes on the phone but was immediately told “I’m ending the call”.
“I don’t have the words to describe it, I feel like I’m being treated like I’m not human, like I’m an animal, like I have no rights,” he said.
“It hurts you, it makes all these emotions go through you.
“I’ve got sight problems, I can’t move, I have a heart condition that’s a killer if I get stressed. I could be dead before I hit the floor.
“One lady saw I had chest pains before leaving, and she just said as she left ‘take care of yourself’.
“I’ve got no family around me, I was taken into care when I was six. I’m reliant on these people and they’re just leaving me.
“They treat me like a criminal, they come in twos because they’ve accused me of being threatening.
“They’ve accused me of threatening to kill another colleague, how could a blind man in a wheelchair do that.
“They told me if I’m not comfortable with two people coming into my home I can go outside.
“So they’re expecting me to discuss my personal information in a public car park.
“My social worker was laughing at me. Her colleague just said ‘well I didn’t see or hear anything’ – what a surprise.
“I’ve got nobody, I need these people. They need to know they can’t treat people like this.”
One of Jason’s ex-social workers introduced another service, for which the 54-year-old forked out an eye-watering £400 a month for.
A carer was supposed to take him out for a few hours, three days a week, read him his post and help with shopping.
“She turned up twice,” he said.
“On the third occasion she said she turned up but thought I might be asleep so she left.
“When I was paying all this money, and they’re not doing their job I said I wasn’t happy and asked him what’s going on.”
Jason alleged it was after he grilled social services over his lack of care, that staff turned sour.
“That’s when he went back to his boss and claimed I had threatened him,” said Jason.
“I’m now terrified to speak to them, because when I do, they’re accusing me. I don’t know what to do, whether or not to let them in.”
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council told The Sun: “We are unable to comment on individual cases.
“The service supports all service users to meet their assessed needs, and if a person who accesses our services wishes to raise concerns or make a formal complaint, we have a statutory duty to investigate and a statutory process to follow.”
What are your rights
IF you have experienced or seen poor care from an adult social care service, you have a right to complain
Firstly you should contact the service provider.
If the care is funded or arranged by a local council, you can complain to them about your issue.
You can find your local council at GOV.UK
All health and social care service providers must have a complaints system.
- Resources to help you make a complaint (Healthwatch)
- Information about complaining about adult social care services (Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman)
- Raising concerns about a service you work for
If you have complained to the care provider or local council and you are unhappy with the response, you can make a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Source; Care Quality Commission