IHC to evict disabled man who is 'a joy' to have

CRAIG SIMCOX/The Dominion Post

FORCED OUT: Richard Heather, right, is being evicted from his IHC supported house in Miramar. He is pictured with his father David Heather and sister Kirsty Ferguson. IHC blames a "breakdown in the relationship'' between his family and his service provider.

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An intellectually handicapped man with a mental age of three will be the first ordered out by the IHC in at least 20 years, though they say he is a "joy" to have.

Richard Heather, 38, who is deaf, blind, mute and autistic, was told to leave after there was a relationship "breakdown" with IHC service provider Idea Services and his family. Richard was read a "letter of expulsion" by an IHC community services manager in late May, before his sister was sent a similar letter to read to him, his father, David Heather, said.

"He loves the staff, he loves the house, he loves the community."

He was due to leave the house this week.

In 2006, Richard's parents made a select committee submission saying their son did not appear to be receiving all entitlements under his "band 5" disability classification – the highest classification.

"We made a lot of inquiries and dug a lot, and became very unpopular," Mr Heather said.

Shortly after, there were three IHC letters suggesting the family move Richard out. One, signed by chief executive Ralph Jones, said: "With your obvious doubt in our capability, it may be timely to ask whether we have come to a point where ultimately an alternative provider should be considered."

Despite this, in October 2007, Richard began getting his full entitlement of hours and had "fantastic" support for two years – he even learned to tandem cycle and completed the 180-kilometre Otago rail trail last year.

He was routinely re-assessed last September, and despite his medical condition worsening, was recategorised as band 4 – losing 115 hours of funding for support per fortnight.

"He's so dependant, he can't go on the road, he can't go shopping by himself," Mr Heather said.

The loss of extra support meant Richard was tied to support coming in for his housemates. Recently, he spent five hours in a hospital waiting room, after the sole carer had to take another resident in.

"The staff don't want him to go, the other [residents'] families don't want him to go and the other [residents] don't want him to go."

The Miramar home Richard had shared with three other disabled men for seven years had been the best in 22 years of residential care, Mr Heather said.

"Forget about us, it's fundamentally Richard's rights, why should he have to move? Blind, [intellectually disabled] kids don't cope with change very well, they're very routine-orientated."

An IHC spokeswoman said a "transition plan" to an independent service provider had been agreed with the Health Ministry and family.

"[It's] in Richard's best interests given there has been a breakdown in the relationship between Idea Services and the Heather family." Richard was "a joy" to have in their care, she said.

"This is the first time in the chief executive's 20-year work history with IHC that anyone has been required to transition out of services."

Ministry disability support services group manager Anne O'Connell said IHC was entitled to find "alternative safe accommodation" for a client if "the relationship is such that it is having an adverse effect on the client or other residents".

Richard's advocates could approach the health and disability commissioner, complain to the Health Ministry, or take legal action.

Deputy health and disability commissioner Tania Thomas said she did not have jurisdiction to intervene in the contracted provision of a service.

Labour disabilities spokeswoman Lynne Pillay said she had asked Health Minister Tony Ryall to help Richard stay in his residence.

Mr Ryall's office referred requests for comment to the ministry.

A spokeswoman said modifications were being made to a house that would be Richard's new home. The ministry believed the hours of care provided were appropriate.

- © Fairfax NZ News