William is in his mid-60s. He has an acquired brain injury, learning disabilities, mental health issues, physical disabilities and a visual impairment. Due to his physical disabilities, he wears boots which are made for him by the orthotics department of the local hospital.

William asked for support from an advocate to help draft a complaint letter for him to send to the NHS trust who provide his boots. William does not have a telephone or internet access and it was therefore necessary to meet him face-to-face.

Jane, a POhWER advocate, met with William at his local library. William explained to her that the boots are too wide for his feet and his feet move up and down in them and he gets a loss of sensation in his toes when he wears them. He also told her that the right boot leaks in wet weather. William told Jane that he had raised his concerns verbally directly with the orthotics department but he had not had any response.

Jane explained the options for William to take his complaint further. William decided he would like to make a formal complaint in writing to the Trust. William asked Jane if she could type the letter for him if he dictated what he wanted to say as due to his visual impairment he found it hard to focus on a screen to write, or to read what he had written afterwards.

Jane typed a draft version of William’s letter for him in a font that is plain and easy to read as it doesn’t include decorative flourishes, and printed it out in large print so that William was able to read it.

William was happy with the content of the letter and asked Jane to e-mail it to the trust on his behalf. In the email Jane asked for a reply to be sent to William by letter in large print format. The Hospital Trust acknowledged receipt of the letter by e-mail to the advocate and by letter to William.

William received a reply to his letter and has been offered an appointment with the orthotics department to have his feet re-measured and his needs discussed so that a new pair of boots can be made for him.