Were local services ever really fit for purpose?

Where to start, before the coronavirus life was pretty tough.

The area I live in is classed as one of the most deprived in the UK, in fact it is amongst the 10% most deprived areas in the UK. Life expectancy is relatively lower than other, more affluent areas, educational attainment is poor and earning potential is fragile. To be in work, generally means employed in low paid, zero hours or relying on an agency contract. Work is precarious and many people are needing to rely on insubstantial social security and thus trying to get through each day as opposed to aspiring to achieve and realise their potential. 

I paint a dire picture, but just when you think things can’t get any worse, life can have a nasty habit of throwing further problems your way. As mentioned, work in our community can be rather precarious and therefore the security needed to ensure you have the ability to provide for your family, keep a roof over your head and guarantee food is on the table is not always a certainty.  

The loss of a full time job and the reliance of agency work proved too difficult for one person. A three week promise of employment turned into two days secure income, and interviews for work became a sign up to a new agency and absurd training. 50 years old and already assigned to the scrap heap. Not being able to provide for his family and increasingly feeling dejected and worthless, led to one drink turning into several drinks.  

‘This is not a problem, I have it all under control’ 

The journey ahead was thwart with barriers and a misconceived belief that help and support was out there. Addiction services are under-resourced. You think you are on the right path, but then someone goes sick or you miss an appointment and things go back to step one. This throws you into further despair and another drink. You lose your home, your family and another drink feels like the only solution. Mental health suffers and the support from adult social care, mental health and doctors are sought. Mental health can’t help – ‘it’s an addiction problem’, GP can’t help – ‘you have to stop drinking’, adult social care can’t help – ‘you have capacity’. 

Reliant upon Universal Credit, but no ability to manage their claim and fill in their journal. Debts mount and repayments come flooding in. Appointments are missed and sanctions are threatened. £111 per fortnight was the amount entitled to live off. ‘I can’t afford a rehab – it is thousands of pounds’. 

Physical health starts deteriorating – problems with the pancreas, problems with the liver, incontinence, and poorer mental health. Self-harm, self-neglect, and a desire to ‘end it all’. 

‘Why didn’t I get the help – surely a bit of support and an ability to access the services I needed would have prevented things spiralling out of control. If I had money and knew where to go, maybe, just maybe I would not be in this position now. What next for me???’