Mistaken Beliefs

In the Foundation’s opinion, it is not an acceptable answer to unsafe care, to simply close down services and move people out. Within the Foundation’s own core values, it has to stand up to challenge any philosophy that appears to support care by punishing people who have been abused, but not the people that have carried out the abuse.

To extract people who have been abused and neglected out of their care service, and to move them into others, having no guarantees that these care standards are any safer, is surely not the right directions for improving the protection of our frail and vulnerable people. Particularly if at a later date that care service is deemed unsafe and requires closure.

Neither, in such circumstance, should good care workers be punished by having their reputations tarnished when they have done no wrong, and for them to find themselves jobless, when their services are closed.

In care, today it is not enough to simply rely on current systems of Legislation and Regulation to improve care, as they do little to address the many conflicts of interest that exist, and merely promote systems that are not fit for purpose.

Therefore, robust safeguards, not unproven platitudes of “Lessons will be learnt” and “Our services have improved” are a must for protection, respect and dignity to be restored to all, (including staff), who suffer abuse, and are being victimised.

All services are duty bound to cherish the people in their care. Yet Health and Social Care, in its current configuration, does little to stop leaving people living in care fearful of facing their own fate, alone and frightened.

It is a sad indictment that within in Social Care today and Social Care Partnerships, people and families in care have no confidence in its role as the Guardians of People’s Protection when people approach them with concerns of the abysmal atrocities in care.

Complainants, who bring these crimes to the attention of those in authority have done nothing wrong, and simply required genuine reassurance, actions and outcomes. They need to know people’s suffering will be taken seriously and stopped. But little is in place which reflects a genuine desire to act with openness and transparency, and for honesty and integrity to prevail in any matters of genuine support and improved outcomes.

If anything, current systems appear to condone the dynamics of fear, bullying and suppression when potential risks to life are reported, as the abuse and neglect is mostly ignored, and merely continues to escalate out of control or until urgent admission to hospitals is required.

If ever there was the need of radical reform on how to address and stamp out abuse and neglect, it is now.

Before our whole care system slips over the very precarious cliff of misconception that closing care homes, and bring all care into the community, is the preventative answer to better care.

It is support for improved training in humane attitudes and approaches that will see the truly effective measures and outcomes.