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I have a daughter, in her thirties, who has learning disabilities. She has needed lots of support through childhood and now, when she has move into a safeguarded flat, is still very needy. I have to say that Social Services were a complete waste of time when I asked for help. I cannot imagine in the current financial climate, that they have improved. I would have been so grateful for someone to talk to and offer practical help.

Ngaio1, people tend to assume that help is available - until they actually need it - and realise that it either doesn't exist or is unaffordable.

Social Services are understaffed and overworked. They are quite happy to place responsibility on family members.

and some in social services are worse than useless.
i had to deal with one who said i should consider respite vouchers, remember those, which i was entitled to.
i was exhausted caring etc. i said to him that yes, please send them to me.
he repeated that he would like me to consider them.
(there was no downside to them, they were free to users, a limited number, and once issued they did not have to be used at all. one still had choice, and of venue.)
i said please send them. he repeated that i should consider them. it went on like this, i began to lose patience and wondered if he was mentally deficient.
he was a social worker, qualified, middle-aged, well-paid.
he said i was refusing to co-operate. i assure you this is how the conversation went.
some time later when he was meant to be actioning actually sending me the vouchers, i had to ask if he had placed them in his boss's tray for signing, and then when signed that he had to retrieve them and put them in an envelope, with my address on, and place in the external post tray.
i had to tell him how to do each stage over a period of time. they were a long time arriving, hence i quizzed him, when he said he had done it.
maybe he needed to consider them.

Simply a huge thankyou to my local Boots! When COVID-19 and self distancing first started the queues for prescriptions at our local Boots stretched a very long way and took a very long time (My husband even got a parking fine because he was queuing so long). Then Boots decided to deliver these regular prescriptions and it has made a huge difference to we elderly folk who really cannot stand in queues for so long and also much prefer to stay in rather than be at risk in queues!

My daughter is receiving Radiotherapy at the moment . All the usual support networks have disappeared. We have lost our humanity with this Covid issue. Why have all the usual NHS clinics been abandoned. How can Doctors work from home?

yes i give care to my elderly grand parnets and i enjoy doing it

I think you have to take the online survey rather than post your experiences as a comment.

the pharmacies round here always delivered repeat prescriptions and extra urgent items to disabled or elderly.
maybe people did not ask if they could until now.

these deliveries are vital to carers who cannot leave the person they are caring for to collect scripts and drugs.
we only had to ring the pharmacy for repeat items, and they would liaise with GP, dispense and deliver the items.

BRAVO!!!! YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION FOR HOW IT SHOULD BE. GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SERVICE <3

Boots were absolutely useless. There were are 3 catagories for people, vunerable high risk, very high risk and high risk, I wasn't sure what my catagory was so I contacted my consultants secretary and she said I was in the very high risk catagory but to follow the guide lines for the vunerable high risk catagory. So I decided 3 months lock-down for me.
A few days into lock-down one of my prescriptions was due so I phoned Boots to ask what happens about getting my prescription delivered and they were adamant they would not deliver them. So I had to come out of my 5 days of lock-down and go stand in the queue outside for nigh-on 10 minutes before getting into the chemist to get them myself [thus having to start my 3 month lock-down all over again]. 3 weeks later another prescription was due [ I couldn't get them at the same time as the others as you are not allowed to get prescriptions in advance ] so I rang Boots back again and this time the girl checked my health history and said I qualified for delivery and would get them delivered in a couple of days time and to phone them back as soon as I had put my prescription into the doctors on-line. Phoned them back to be told , by the same girl to ring back in two days to find out if my prescription was ready for delivery and I would be told what day and time they would be delivered. So I phoned back got someone else on and she stated I couldn't have them delivered as I wasn't on the vunerable high risk list. I asked why I was told that I could have them delivered over the phone twice she gave me no explanation just that I couldn't have them delivered. As I needed them the next morning I voiced my displeasure at the fact one person is saying one thing then another is saying something else. She was insistant that I couldn't have them delivered. She then actually told me to go and knock on a neighbours door and ask them to go and get my tablets [ at the very start of lock-down? ], how pathetic.
The pharmacist then came on the phone and after my explaining she finally said they would be delivered. I know [which they also suggested ] that you can get someone else to get your prescription for you but my only relative that lives close by has a new baby and a 9 year old in the house and there was no way I was going to get her to go to Boots stand outside then go into the chemist itself to get my prescription trailing a new baby with her when she was also self-isolating. When lock-down is fanally over I am changing my chemist for my prescriptions and putting a complaint into Boots main office.

My chemist just deliver the repeats, twice in the past month I have had antibiotics delivered,he posted them through the letterbox, and when my trays were due, he rang the bell, put them on the shelf, and went and sstood by the gate, once I picked them up he got back in his van, and away he went. I do not have to order my pills and potions, the chemist orders them, the Dr sends them electronically straight through to the chemist and then they deliver them on the friday, as the new lot start on a Monday. My Mother in law is not a well lady at all, and she and dad don't haave a problem at all with Boots the chemist.
When I was mangeress of x 2 Residential homes, we had a chemist that came and did staff training for me, they made all the residents trays up, and if something was added halfway through the month, they would come and do up that persons trays. So I have not had a problem at all, it must be the areas.