Rhys Thomas Home After Parents’ Four Year Fight
The father of a young man who suffered severe brain damage after choking on chewing gum says it has been a four-year battle to get him home.
Rhys Thomas, 20, of Holywell, Flintshire, was left disabled after gum became lodged in his windpipe in 2007.
Since then he has been in various hospitals and homes while his family have been trying to get him home.
Health officials have apologised, saying lessons have been learned.
Graham Thomas has described his frustration at the way the family were sent “from pillar to post ” as they tried to make arrangements for his son to be looked after at home.
A £100,000 extension at the family home, paid for with community support as well as a £35,000 grant, is now being used to house Rhys along with specialist carers.
‘Winning or losing’
“The system works in a way that it wants you to fail, if you fall at the first hurdle: That’s one less person for them to be worried about, and concerned about,” says Mr Thomas.
“To anybody who’s listening you’ve got to be determined and not accept ‘no’ from anybody, and pursue them even if it takes year and years.
“It’s not a case of winning or losing, but you can achieve what you set out to achieve.”
Mr Thomas says the move was delayed several times and he hopes lessons have been learnt to avoid another family going through a similar ordeal.
In a statement, the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which is funding Rhys’s care, has apologised.
The statement said: “The health board is very sorry that despite significant efforts made by Rhys’ family, health board staff and other agencies, that it took so long for Rhys to return home.
‘Valuable lessons’
“Planning Rhys’ discharge and home care has been a very lengthy process due to the complexity of his care needs.
“We have also learnt valuable lessons about how to speed up the process in such unique circumstances.”
Rhys was 15 when he had been chewing gum before he went to bed.
It became lodged in his windpipe and he suffered a heart attack, thought to have been caused by lack of oxygen.
Mr Thomas said the family were initially told they could bring Rhys home for 24-hour care by November, but delays were caused by the need to recruit and then train specialist staff.
Same Difference 
We know it goes on, but it doesn’t make it any easier to read about – especially when there’s faces and names and real people behind these stories.
The system is no longer just flawed, it has almost completely collapsed.
There are families up and down the country who daily have to endure the emotional and financial misery and physical pain of being seperated from family due to ill-health; with simply not enough targeted and timely support available – not to mention the horrendous lack of suitable housing for sick and/ or disabled people.
I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Thomas; the system is set up in such a way these days, that you are so disheartened at the initial failure they mete, you just give up.
What they count on, is you don’t have it in you to push.
This is a call-to-arms now, to all the vulnerable, marginalised and living in poverty through ill-health – KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, ASSERT YOUR RIGHTS, DO NOT GIVE UP – YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS, WE CAN AND WE WILL SEE A BETTER DAY.
If we shout loud enough they will HAVE to listen.
Go to Citizen’s Advice or a local legal-rights charity.
Write to your MP – a really good one will respond straight away and write letters on your behalf. Harangue your GP, get them to make phone calls. Don’t take no for an answer.
You’ll probably have to pay for a letter but it will be worth it, if your GP will make all the salient points for you, as an involved third party.
If they won’t listen, well, I changed doctors and made a complaint – you do not have to suffer this ineffectual dictatorship, while your body and mind crumbles – you just have to shout loud enough over their booming recorded message “you do not fit the criteria……..we do not have the staff……………we do not have the funding……”.
Don’t give up, don’t give in – you have a basic right to have help to be a family – the system has an elected and basic moral obligation to provide adequate solutions in an appropriate time-frame.
BIG final word of advice: take photocopies of everything and send it all recorded delivery!
Don’t let them tell you “it wasn’t received” or that “it’s incomplete”!
I am severely disabled by an inherited syndrome and been struggling for years to get a disabled-adapted place, so I can finally use a powered chair.
My MP has written to a Head of Housing and Director of Community Living for input, and has pledged to write by return when they respond.
I’m pleased with the tone of his letters and am hopeful I will be able to finally get somewhere.
I’m still waiting for my re-assessment from Social Services – when they finally rang back trying to get me (the maggot) off the hook – I told them I know my rights, I’m not going away and I’ll eagerly wait to hear about my re-allocation. I wait in hope……….
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