- Investigation into case of man who lay dead at home for seven months
- Series of recommendations issued following release of serious care review
- The man was in his 60s and had a long history of alcohol abuse
- Improvements to be made to way authorities deal with self-neglect
IMPROVEMENTS are to be made to the way Island authorities deal with self-neglect, following an investigation into the case of a man who lay dead in his home for seven months before he was discovered.
Yesterday, a series of recommendations were issued following the release of a serious care review into the circumstances around the death of the man, who was in his early sixties and had a long history of alcohol abuse.
The recommendations – which include ensuring agencies make regular contact with vulnerable individuals who initially refuse their help and creating a support service for alcoholics who live in their own home – could have wide-ranging impacts on the way vulnerable people are dealt with both in the Island and across the UK.
Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Glenys Johnston, the independent chairman of the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, said that although the man, whose identity has been protected, had constantly refused help from agencies, ‘some of the circumstances could have been prevented’.
She explained that shortly before his death in summer 2013 the police had visited his house and found him living in ‘appalling physical conditions’, with many of the bannisters and skirting boards having been ripped up to provide firewood.
And despite concerns being passed on to the Adult Services Department no further action was taken because the case was classified as one of self-neglect.
‘Until recently people who suffer from self-neglect were not seen as people who were vulnerable and in need of support, they were seen as people who made that choice.
‘They choose to live that way, they choose to drink too much, they choose to let their health deteriorate,’ Ms Johnston said.
‘We now know that people who self-neglect are at risk.’
Ms Johnston, who leads serious case reviews across the UK, said that the investigation highlighted a ‘serious alcohol problem’ in Jersey.
‘It is estimated that 4,000 people in Jersey are dependant on alcohol and I find that a very shocking figure, given what we know about the impact of alcohol on risk behaviour, on driving, on domestic abuse and on suicide.’
‘Given the high rates of alcoholism in Jersey, it is essential that the public note the risks associated with drinking and that agencies take on board the learning from this review and implement the recommendations so that similar suffering and loss of life can be avoided.’
Following the briefing, Chris Dunne, the head of Adult Services, said that his department had already started making changes to their policies.
‘There are several complex cases and we are doing some joint work with our police colleagues to identify who those individuals are,’ he said.
‘We are looking at doing some targeted work around those individuals who are high risk and who are most vulnerable.’
Mr Dunne explained that unlike before, the cases of those people who choose not to engage with agencies would be kept open to ‘provide a different level of safeguarding’.
Previously, self-neglect cases would have been closed if the person involved refused help.
‘Even if the individual does not want to get involved, we will leave it open and develop a regular contact in the hope that at some point they might choose to engage,’ he said.
Mr Dunne added that four Island surgeries are currently offering specialist alcoholism treatment to help reduce the ‘stigma’ associated with visiting the Drugs and Alcohol Service.
‘What we are seeing early on is a real improvement in people accessing the right service,’ he said.
