Care Abuse Exposed by Panorama
Care Abuse exposed- with all the negative media coverage, how do you protect your loved one in a home?
It is a long time since I have come across anything so shocking andupsetting to watch. So it’s impossible to imagine how the vulnerable adults at Winterbourne View residential hospital, featured in the recent Panorama programme ‘Undercover Care: Abuse exposed’, coped with the situation in which they found themselves.
The Winterbourne View victims were the most vulnerable: the learning disabled, the autistic and the suicidal. The abuse on the learning disabled residents has been likened to torture and brutal systematic abuse. Over 18 staff have been suspended and there have been several arrests.
Most shocking of all is the fact that an ex-employee blew the whistle to the regulator – the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – several times. The CQC made visits, but it still failed the vulnerable adults, as its inspections did not produce any adverse findings.
It was the Health and Social Care Act 2008 that established the CQC, which is responsible for the registration, review and inspection of certain health and adult social care services in England. It does not investigate complaints, but uses any that it receives as a way of identifying risk. Furthermore, unless there is a complaint, it only visits home/care hospitals formally every three years.
So what do you do if you have suspicions about the care home where your loved one is resident? If you are currently in the process of choosing a care home, how do you go about it?
In the latter instance, you will need to check the contract for care at the particular home you have in mind. In addition, it can be helpful to talk to other residents and their families, as well as to social services. A trial period at the home is useful, enabling you to see how things are run and the quality of care given. The home’s most recent inspection reports may highlight problems such as a reputation for poor practice.
If your loved one is already in a home, complain to the proprietor immediately upon detection or suspicion of abuse. The home may dismiss or remove the perpetrator, but if the internal complaints procedure does not provide the required solution, contact the CQC directly.
Sadly, at Winterbourne View, the CQC was contacted but let down the residents by failing to detect the serious abuse. The CQC are now urgently reviewing its procedures and the Health Minister has also become involved.
Rowberry Morris solicitors can advise on care homes, care home contracts and the abuse of older and vulnerable people. Please call the Rowberry Morris team for more advice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011pwt6/Panorama_Undercover_Care_The_Abuse_Exposed/
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