A care provider has been blasted for halting assistance with only a day’s warning for a Dunfermline woman paralysed by a stroke.
Assisted Services had cared for Alison Wilson, 52, for two years before it stopped.
Alison and husband Michael say they were told by Fife Council on the morning of her final visit that the company would not return.
Michael, 64, said: “They dropped a bombshell on us by pulling the contract at such short notice.”
Glenrothes-based Assisted Services, however, said help would always be provided unless it posed a risk to staff or service users.
Former cleaner Alison has been paralysed down her left side and blind in her right eye since a stroke in June 2016.
Michael, previously a manager and supervisor in asbestos removal, is her full-time carer and she also relies on carers coming daily to help her wash, change and get ready for bed.
He said the sudden withdrawal by Assisted Service followed previous failings, including failure to provide staff rotas and inadequate notice that a trainee would shadow regular carers when Alison was receiving personal care.
A complaint he made to the Care Inspectorate about both issues was upheld.
It was after carers were accused of breaching the social care code of conduct, allegedly in relation to photographs posted on social media from a party both they and Alison attended, that Assisted Services told the Wilsons it could longer meet Alison’s needs.
The company pledged to continue care until a new provider was appointed but Michael said no date was given and it pulled out suddenly, without informing the couple directly.
Alternative care was quickly arranged by Fife Council but Michael said it had given them no opportunity to consider their options.
He said: “We haven’t been given any time to sort something out. It takes a while to put the right care in place.
“Assisted Services have dropped us in it.”
Wilma Burnett, of Assisted Services, said that due to confidentiality it was unable to comment on individual cases.
However, she said: “I can assure you that we never stop providing a service to any service user unless there is risk to either the service user or our staff.
“Protecting staff and service users is of great importance to us.”
