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CQC finds failings in learning disability services
Tuesday 13 December 2011
The Care Quality Commission’s post-Winterbourne report discovers ‘very serious concerns’ among learning disability services
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) last week published the first five reports of its programme of 150 inspections of care services for people with a learning disability.
The services, which include hospitals and care homes, are being inspected following the abuse scandal at the privately-run Winterbourne View residential hospital near Bristol. The abuse was highlighted in a BBC Panorama programme (pictured), which aired earlier this year.
Of the first five reports to be published, four exposed services that have failed to meet the government’s essential standards and quality, as required by law. Although no abuse has been uncovered on the scale of Winterbourne – for which 10 people face criminal charges – the CQC says that findings of the reports and other completed inspections suggest that stronger leadership and better staff training are needed.
Dame Jo Williams, former Mencap chief executive and chair of the CQC, said that problems are often rooted in a poor understanding of procedures or a lack of person-centred care. “It is especially important that services make sure that the care of people using these services, many of whom have extremely complex and individual needs, is tailored to their needs,” she said.
Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation released a joint statement in reaction to the findings. David Congdon, Mencap’s head of campaigns and policy, said: “Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation are calling for the government to speed up placing adult safeguarding on a statutory footing, so that all agencies involved are forced to take this seriously.
“It is also inexcusable that the reports reveal a lack of understanding about what safe, person-centred care looks like when we know there is a lot of clear guidance on this.”
Find out more about the CQC’s inspections and reports
Comments
I received a letter on Christmas Eve from NHS/Social Services, thirty minutes prior to my son arriving home to spend Christmas with me, I am of pensionable age and when my son spends time with me I do this as a lone parent, this letter informed me that my son who has challenging behaviour would be moved from his current home by February, following a CQC/Police/ safeguarding adults report by Devon Council. As a parent this struck terror in my heart.
I am still outraged that the professionals involved made no attempt to contact me in person or by phone, which I strongly believe such information warrents. The emergency contact provided in the letter, wasn't contactable until the 4 January.
The level of stress and upset this has caused me is indescribable - I find very little professionalism associated with
NHS, Social Services or the MP that I contacted to assist with this grave issue.
We appear to have gone from, a dubious in the extreme, self certification system by CQC where care homes self certified and gave the impression via the web site that they met all criteria - to where we are now struggling to deal with major problems within care homes identified but no resolution available.
To date my son has not been moved and ther are no suitable places available and I am now being informed 'alternative solutions are being investigated'. In other words a complete shambles.
The care system has to admit past mistakes and learn by them. If they don,t then the mistrust which people have of social services will increase. I don,t see the change of attitudes which needs to happen within the care system.