A man says his mum has only left her home twice in two years - both by ambulance. Kevin Cuthbertson said he fears his mum Veronica will have a fatal injury if she stays living there.
The only time Veronica, 76, has left her flat in the past two years is to go to hospital by ambulance. Kevin said the home was no longer accessible for his mum, who is increasingly stable on her feet and falls regularly.
Kevin said he had contacted Torus, which owns the property, on numerous occasions to ask if his mum and dad can be moved to a more accessible home. The couple have since been moved from Band D to Band C - a category which gives them 'medium priority' when bidding for other homes on the Property Pool, reports the Liverpool ECHO.
But Kevin said any appropriate homes were still being taken before his parents got the chance to bid on them and he felt this category didn't reflect the urgency of the situation.
The 46-year-old told the ECHO: "My mum is falling over all the time. She's been housebound for two years now. She's been out the house twice [in two years] to go to hospital by ambulance. When she goes out she can't get back in again.
"Wherever you approach the flat you have to go up a hill to get into it. There's steps then up to the flat. There's a big heavy door to the flat which she can't open on her own, she's got no strength."
Veronica suffered a black eye following a recent fall at her home in Walton, Liverpool, last week, which resulted in her being taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Kevin said: "If she falls onto anything hard and smashes her head, it will kill her."
Kevin said his mum was now reliant on his dad Colin, 76, who has COPD and also struggles to access the flat. He is calling on Torus to send someone out to the property to assess his mum's needs.
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He said: "No one has even been out to see her. All I want is somewhere accessible for them to live that's by a supermarket - I'm not asking for the world off them."
Gaynor Johnson, director of housing services at Torus, said: “Torus properties are allocated via the Property Pool Plus (PPP), bandings are given in accordance with the Local Authority Allocations Policy, not by Torus. Unfortunately, the couple are bidding (expressing an interest in) on high demand properties, mainly two-bedroom bungalows, which understandably go to those who have been assessed with a greater need or with a similar need who have been waiting longer.
“We understand how frustrating this can be and have encouraged them to keep bidding and possibly consider more suitably located alternative types of accommodation, including other two-bedroom ground floor flats to increase their chances of being relocated. They have been advised that a Neighbourhood Officer will be in touch to speak with them regarding support available and to see if any aids could be given to help them in their home and further assess the couple’s current health conditions and limitations to ensure they are in the correct priority banding.
“We have provided the couple with information regarding HomeSwapper, the UK's leading mutual exchange service with over 500,000 tenants, looking to swap Council and Housing Association Homes, of which Torus is a member and tenants can use free of charge. We have also offered to assist them in applying, if interested, to Access Liverpool, which works in partnership with Registered Providers, across the city to allocate accessible homes. We will continue to keep in touch with the couple to see if we can be of any further assistance whilst they are waiting to be relocated.”
