Day 2,275 in the Nanny June Care Home

The One With The Letter

There’s a letter in the post today.

It looks unpleasant. It's giving off vibes.

It is from the NHS and has official terms and an evermore officious term. Regarding Constance. It makes low level anxiety kick in. Last time I had a letter from the NHS about June it was taking me to court for abandonment of a vulnerable adult (while I fought to get her into the right care home and they couldn't discharge her home and I couldn't care for her myself as I had three children under five years old).

Fortunately my social worker husband can translate this new letter. Basically, there's to be a meeting. If I could attend that would be great. If I can't it goes ahead anyway. And a snarky point about not being able to get hold of me. Which is weird because my mobile number hasn't changed since 1995 and the care home have my home number.

The jargon translates to: Nanny June has been in a care home, which after your personal supply of money runs out to meet the bill, the local authority step in. This sounds simple. It isn't. It's a nightmare. The whole pensions and benefits system is a nightmare. Anyway - when Nanny June moves to palliative care if she was at home she would be transferred to hospital. Hospitals are paid for out of the (ever constricted) NHS budget. So with the foresight of having Nanny June intentionally in a 'Nursing' care home it means that NHS care can be delivered there. But it will be in a new room and the 'person' paying is no longer us or the local authority. It's the NHS. And this new room is more strategically positioned for dying.

I draft a response. With my telephone numbers. And my availability . And a snarky FYI Mr NHS Manager - make a note that her name isn't Constance. It wasn't when your colleague wrote to me to take me to court and it isn't her name now. It won't be during the meeting either. So if you could amend your records and make sure all future reference her by the right name. Thanks.

Three weeks later... I'm still waiting for a meeting date. Nanny June better schedule her death for a time when it's convenient.