A Labour-run council has been exposed for failing in its duty of care towards mentally-ill residents.
In an exclusive report, Croydon resident Gemma Patient has provided Blasting News with documents and correspondence that reveal how her council has provided insufficient funding towards her elderly mother's care package.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust discharged Ms Patient's mother's care package on 29th December 2016 without the Croydon resident's consent. Croydon Council said they made this decision on the basis that Ms Patient's mother does not meet the required care threshold.
"There were no measures put in place to safeguard my mother"
Ms Patient told Blasting News: "There were no measures put in place to safeguard my mother within the community and then she was discharged from the Mental Health Team to her GP, although she was relapsing and becoming a danger to herself and her children. They failed to respond to a crisis call that I made to CMHT in Croydon and the Duty Care Team, so I subsequently had to take her to our local A&E where there is a 24 hour psychiatric team.
"They kept her in overnight and discharged her the next day without my consent.
"I did, however, tell them that it was not safe for my Mum to return home and when I left to go back to work, I received a call from my Mum to say that they had sent her home in their own transport, although she should have been detained under the Mental Health Act and safeguarded until her treatment plan was satisfactory and she no longer became a danger to herself or the public.
"The liability shall lie with them, as I made it perfectly clear that my Mum could not stay at home"
"I sent her back to A&E and they discharged her again the same evening. I told them that if this is the case and an incident takes place that the liability shall lie with them, as I made it perfectly clear that my Mum could not stay at home."
Ms Patient described how her mother would take numerous items to the park and leave her front door wide open, but they still discharged her.
The Croydon resident said the Head of Treatment and mental health nurse ignored her on numerous occasions to assist her mother sooner. According to Ms Patient, the nurse also failed to implement adequate checks on her mother.
After the Head of Treatment explained to Ms Patient the reasons why her mother did not meet the care threshold, the Croydon resident asked them if they thought it was satisfactory for her mother to be visiting the park at 1am and leaving the door wide open, to which they replied: 'Yes.'
Ms Patient laid the blame at the Labour Party, who were re-elected in 2014.
"The Mental Health Services Team come under a Labour council and have been nothing but an endless problem ever since they were re-elected"
She added: "There has been no end of failings from this team and irresponsible cuts made that have posed danger to vulnerable adults, which can also lead to danger to the public. The Mental Health Services Team come under a Labour council and have been nothing but an endless problem ever since they were re-elected in 2014.
"They are not keeping the public safe and need to be inspected to check that there are no other cases of this nature going on."
Ms Patient said Labour are slashing funding for her mother's care as a form of "cost-cutting". She said: "There is no accountability or responsibility.They have completely irrational expectations and they do not protect the welfare of my Mum.
They are always blaming the Government."
In September 2017, Croydon Council held a special cabinet meeting after Ofsted rated their children's services as 'inadequate.' Ms Patient described the council as extremely appalling and called on the Cabinet Member for Children's Services and the Labour Leader of the Council to resign.
Councillor Tony Newman, the Leader of Croydon Council, and Councillor Louisa Woodley, the Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care, were both approached for comment by Blasting News, but declined to do so.
