i need help writing a letter to the council

[misdee]

about getting our 50medical points changed so we can use them for any property, not just a ground floor property which is the restriction on them atm.

my dh has dilated cardiomyopathy, and cant managed the amount of stairs leading to our living area in the masionette. we have been by-passed for a bungalow as its adapted and dh doesnt need adaptions, just somewhere where he can walk in and sit down straight away, without worrying about climbing stairs, as that puts extra strain on his heart. I need to word this letter so he is still comign across as disabled, as i'm worried they may take the 50 points off instead of changing what they are allocated for.

you can read more about his condition here if u need more info dilated cardiomyopathy

so far i have written this.

Dear Sirs

I am writing concerning our medical points allocation and the restrictions which have been placed on how we use them. We can only use the points towards a ground floor property, but as we have two children and another one arriving in early march we need a three bedroom property. The amount of three bedroom ground floor properties in the area is very small.

As my husband, Peter, has a heart condition (dilated cardiomyopathy) it is clear that he cant carry on living in our current home without it posing a serious risk to his health. When he walks through the front door, he is faced with a flight of thirteen steps before he can sit down and rest, which is placing his heart under greater strain. We feel that living in a house where he can come in and sit down straight away would benefit him greatly. We have a total of 27 steps inside our masionette, plus the 5 steps leading from the car park to the front door. In a house he would only be facing one flight of steps which he would possibly go up and down maybe twice a day if there was a downstairs toilet also there.

If we can get the restrictions lifted on the medical points it would greatly benefit Peters health. With the flu season comign up, he is at greater risk of infections, which will possibly leave him hospitalised for periods (as has happened in previous winters), and the stress of living here is having adverse affect on his health already. He has days where he can barely get upstairs, and when he does get up to the living room, he has to sit down for long periods to get his breath back and his heart rate down.

Peter is registered as disabled, he has a blue badge and has been awarded Disability Living Allowence. He has been unable to return to his place of work since he was diagnosed.
He has regular blood tests and appointments with the specialist cardiologist team at Lister hospital and Papworth hospital. He has to be careful with regards to knocks and bleeds as he is on anti-coagulants. We are hoping that Peters condition stays stable with drug therapy, but if that doesnt work the he is looking at being placed on the heart transplant list, which would give him a better standard of life. If his condtion does deterioate to a point where he cant cope with stairs at all then we would apply through social services (who we are already in touch with) to get nesscessary adaptions made.

looks good misdee

misdee - have u got any doctors letters/medical reports u could quote from? could dhs consultant do a letter 4 u

i have to have this in asap as the housing panel are meeting on monday next week. i have printed out loads of information to send in as well (20 pages of stuff), and am just looking for some more. peter is in the worst stages atm, and heart transpalnt doe slook very likely tho they are holding off as long as possible.

sorry misdee, didn't realise u are so up against the wall timewise. just that thought the council might really take notice if a consultant medic wrote in as well. i think the letter is good; my only comment is could you strengthen some of what you say by "my husband;s consultantconsiders XXX would be beneficial to his health Or in our current property, my husband's consultant considers that XXX would have an adverse effect, and has recommended ..."

We havent spoken to his consultant about this, and his next appt isnt untill november, trying to get hold of her is a problem atm, as they are short on cardio consultants at the hospital. I will try and get his gp involved as well. The head of housing who i have been speakign to about getting the points changed, is actually on the housing panel, and i feel he will put a good case forward for us.

have added this paprgraph. may just leave it there.

Peter is on a large amount of medication (warfarin, spironlactone, ramipril, frusemide, digoxin, bisoprolol, salbutamol and becotide) which has to be taken twice daily to keep his condition stable. Even with medication he suffers from dizzyness, feeling faint, and does also cough up blood on occasion, which is why he is under supervision from consultants and GP's. His condition isnt well known, which is why I have included a print out about his condition for you to also read to get a better understanding of it and how it affects Peter life and what we may face in the future.

hi misdee, sorry the bungalow wasn't available. Did you get anywhere with an occupational therapist?
At the moment i think your letter is excellent but could be made clearer on one issue - why you want the restriction changed and what exactly you do want.
Can I suggest the following?

"The decision to restrict use of our points towards a ground floor property only means that our prospect of rehousing is unduly limited, and it does not take into account the needs of the whole family. We do not require a property which is entirely on the ground floor. However we do require a property with ground floor access, ideally with a ground floor toilet, and we do require a three bedroomed property. We also need to move as a matter of urgency due to the effect which our present housing is having on Peter's condition and due to the imminent arival of a new baby. please reconsider your decision."

good luck xx

hovely, i woke up this morning and realised it wasnt that clear on what we are trying to acheive. so i will pinch your paragraph and add it somewhere in the letter.

we rae waiting for the OT to know contact us, they are aware of us but are v v v busy atm and so far all we've had is a letter aknowledging our request for an assessment. i will also be calling them later to chase them up.