A PARALYSED man says he was given only seven days to find a new carer after a York care firm suddenly withdrew its provision.

Graham Knight, 47, who broke his neck when he fell off York’s City Walls about 15 years ago, said the firm had provided a carer for more than eight years to ensure he got his tea each day, and could go out shopping once a week.

But he said he received a call from the firm, Independent Home Living, at 4.45pm on a recent Friday afternoon to tell him it would not be sending carers any more beyond the following Friday.

He said that when he rang to ask why, he was told that some carers had said they did not feel comfortable coming round to visit him and also that the firm was short staffed.

He said he did not believe his carers felt that way, with one having told him she was very upset by the decision.

He claimed that under terms and conditions of his contract with Independent Home Living, he was supposed to be given four week’s notice of any withdrawal of care provision.

“I was very worried,” he said. “Fortunately, because I use two other care firms during the day, I was able to contact them and ask if they could provide the cover at tea time, and one was, but if I had only used Independent Home Living I could have been really stuck.”

He said he had not yet got cover for his shopping trips.

Graham said he was tetraplegic, leaving him using a wheelchair and with only limited use of his arms and unable to use his hands.

He said he relied on carers visiting through the day and night to ensure he could live relatively independently at his home in the Heslington Road area.

“Someone from the council’s night support team comes at 5am to turn me in bed to help prevent me getting pressure sores,” he said.

“A carer from a private care firm comes later to get me up and then someone from the same firm returns at lunchtime to ensure I have lunch.

“On Mondays, a carer has come from Independent Home Living to ensure I have social hours - ensuring I can go out to the shops and so on - and the firm has also supplied a carer every afternoon to ensure I have tea.”

He added that the night support team also returned at 11pm to get him to bed.

Fishergate councillor Andy D’Agorne said he was concerned to hear about Mr Knight’s carer problems and would contact him to look into them.

The Press has made repeated attempts to contact Independent Home Living over the past week to give it opportunity to comment, but never received a call back.