Why not the same outrage at the NAS care home abuse story as at Oxfam?

[sickofsocalledexperts]

Just that really. There was terrible abuse of vulnerable autistic and learning disabled adults at the National Autistic Society's Mendip House in Somerset. They were ridden round like horses, fed chillies, slapped and thrown in the swimming pool - all "for a laugh" and by NAS staff in a residential home that they had themselves accredited. The NAS first tried to "bury the bad news' by unveiling it via a new Twitter account with only 21 followers last Friday (marking a new low in PR strategies). And then, when that strategy backfired in spectacular fashion with a huge online backlash, they earnestly promised to be totally transparent and produce a full timeline about who knew what when . This, almost amazingly , they also tried to sneak out on Wednesday with little fanfare and using the same link (it's still up on Facebook, so if you weren't looking, you wouldn't know a new statement has been issued). Jeez, who's doing their PR?

Now sh*t happens, and bad apples turn up in institutions, but it's how quickly and how transparently you deal with them that says whether your organisation prioritises a) making damn sure this kind of abuse never happens again by shining a bright light on what went wrong or b) covering their arses.

As mum to a boy who is autistic and learning disabled, and could never tell me if someone was being nasty to him behind closed doors, I"m appalled not just by what happened at Mendip House but also how they've handled it. It's both dumb and cynical.

Also think the new statement contradicts their earlier PR positioning - that action was immediate once head office were informed of the abuse, but that sadly there were two years before that when "local management" didn't report the abuse upwards. The new timeline is playing some very silly games with wording, which gives me even less confidence that this is in fact true.

Were these poor people left at the mercy of abusive practice for 2 years because the NAS is basically a shower of shi*e?

Two things are for sure: 1) they've damaged their brand even more with this sneaky PR strategy and 2) my beloved boy will set not one foot over the door of an NAS-run school or home.

www.facebook.com/NationalAutisticSociety/

Another Mum of a child with Sen who has never heard of this.

I hadn't heard of this either.

Evil shits. How were no charges brought?!

This is awful
My severely disabled brother has been abused in the past, but sadly as he has anterograde amnesia, it was our suspicion Vs a crafty bastard who was disciplined, but not sacked, on a technicality.
My brother had a black eye and a hand-shaped bruise on his upper arm, but all the GP could say was that the marks were 'not consistent with a clotting disorder'. The police and social services were useless.
The carer in question was moved to another setting, but still to this day works with vulnerable adults and it distresses us as a family knowing there's nothing we can do. We'll never know the full horror my brother went through at the hands of this person, our only comfort is that he'll never remember anything about it (we hope, anyway). Comfort isn't even the right word

So whilst I'm devastated by stories like this, I'm not shocked or surprised.

Good god. I also hadn’t heard this . Now shared. I’m so sorry for those of you with children who are worried about future care.

Not all care homes are bad
Mydc is in one and they are really happy and well looked after.
Most carers are really good
This is why when evil people do bad things in care, they need to be punished
So that the good people don't get tarrerd withe the same brush

This is why when evil people do bad things in care, they need to be punished

Absolutely. But sadly, these bastards seem to get away with it.

Why though
Why are disabled people not cared about?
Its so awful
And to the person who's mentioned the south
Last year there was a big news story in the south about people dying in care
A lad of 18 with epilepsy wqs the start of it, but i only saw it on local news.

I have only noticed this story on Mumsnet - although it has been reported, it hasn't been prominent at all, for the reasons PPs have already said.

The people who live in residential care make easy victims because they can't tell anyone what has happened to them. DS has basic verbal skills, but any account he gives is unreliable and could easily be demolished by a defence lawyer. I'd imagine most of the victims were non-verbal.

Most carers do great work for a pittance. It's demanding work which should be better-paid and have a respected career structure.

Job centres should not pressure people with no interest or aptitude into taking care work, because vulnerable people end up on the receiving end of their resentment.

Bit surprised that people haven't heard of this - I read it on mainstream media, and it was reported on BBC radio news.
I was a care worker for the thick end of thirty years, and a bloody good one at that. In the last five years of my career, I had reason to report malpractice to the CQC on two separate occasions. Totally bloody pointless - the CQC couldn't give two shits, and the wider society couldn't give two shits about service users or care workers - until things go wrong.
I'll never work in care again (having whistle blown twice) - which is a massive loss to me, but also a massive loss to the care sector. Who actually cares enough about this in all honesty? Every time there's a care home scandal, I see loads of hand wringing on MN - but who's doing anything to help us change things?

www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2016-05-15/southern-health/

this is the one in the south

Oxfam is the bigger name, that's why.

TBH I have reasons to be aware of the NAS story and was as disgusted by it if not more so.

Unfortunately there are far too many evil people in the world who purport to be doing good.

I follow NAS on twitter and had totally missed this between their recent 'fluffier' tweets.

I don't donate to big charaties anymore as it all seems to be about the brand like a pp said.

I wasn't aware other than via MN of anything

It's shocking

Was NAS who the lady the book "for the love of Ann" was written about went to work for? Not relevant really, just curious

In addition to all the other reasons people have mentioned, it is because the Oxfam case gives newspapers the opportunity to talk about sex parties, sex orgies etc etc and write laciviously about rumors of young prostitutes wearing just t-shirts etc and all night parties, whilst also being very shocked and horrified by this of course. Sex sells.

It is absolutely shocking. I was disgusted when I read it. I am pretty sure though that this came out before the Oxfam scandal?

oh god
please no

It doesn’t get a mention because it involves people with learning disabilities. So no-one gives a shit. It’s the same as Richard Handley - Bawa-Garba - led to huge outcry while the Richard Handley inquest held in the same week raised nowhere near the same emotion (& no-one held accountable).

If you ever try to get a safeguarding followed up you will find out why these things keep happening. I have had to stamp my feet to get a possible Mendip House stylee culture (although I bloody hope not, but that is my fear and why I stamped my feet - weeks before this story even broke) even investigated -the staff concern was going to just be filed. My son (non-verbal, severe learning disabilities) has been punched twice by carers (that I know of) in little over a year. No-one ever gets prosecuted for assaulting him. It seems it’s okay to assault him.

What’s the figure? 1,200 avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities every year? Treating people with LD’s in a subhuman way is just par for the course.

I follow NAS on twitter and had totally missed this between their recent 'fluffier' tweets

Because they opened a new account to tweet about it. God knows what they were thinking. If I was still a member I would resign.

If you are interested in autism/LDs start following Mark Neary, Sara Ryan, George Julian, Steve Broach on Twitter - just for starters- you’ll find lots more to follow from them. They will give you a much more realistic understanding of autism/LD’s than organisations like the NAS or Mencap.

And yes Jock. I have found that whistleblowers in my son’s case are badly let down by those they report to. However, as a parent I am very grateful to them. I regret that I have not been in a position to be able to pass that message on. My son is non-verbal so cannot tell us, we do rely on staff. We also know it is not easy to report colleagues & recognise the bravery of those who do.

The CQC has no powers of investigation so it’s fairly hopeless. I have found that Safegaurding boards are so overrun that they try to file everything unless it’s a police matter. The police haven’t converted themselves in glory when they’ve been involved in my son’s cases either.

Basically safeguarding seems to have become an excecise in paperwork. The understanding that there is a vulnerable person at the centre of each case seems to have been lost.

This should not be covered up. Its outrageous.

Bumping to keep publicizing the issue. You might not think it is a problem that applies to you but this is a safe-guarding issue that applies to all vulnerable people in care homes be it the learning disabled, people with an ASC, the infirm or the elderly. Somehow we need more effective inspection systems (should be unannounced) and routes where staff if they have concerns can whistle-blow without risking their jobs or future employment prospects.

I have no time for the NAS. They are so up themselves. Parents turn to them as the experts but they behave like some kind of weird cult, you are either with them or against them.

From the FAQ.
Why was no one prosecuted?
The decision to prosecute rests with the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. We co-operated fully and shared all relevant information with a lengthy Police investigation. The Police in the end took the decision not to prosecute. Avon and Somerset Police Service have explained that "Allegations of abuse against vulnerable people are always considered against the highest public interest threshold, but on this occasion the evidential test required to bring criminal charges was not met"*

I follow on FB and I missed this. I notice looking back that they posted about this last Saturday lunchtime, presumably another attempt to keep it under the radar. I agree that it’s less high profile due to the name of the charity being less well-known and due to people simply caring less about people with LD.

Mark Lever, CEO at the National Autistic Society said in his statement (last paragraph).

"We want to take this opportunity to repeat our previous apologies to the residents of Mendip House and to their families for the distress they experienced".

There is no mention of abuse in his statement, he merely concedes that the residents were mistreated.

WTF.
Evidence of Physical Abuse and Financial Abuse being referred to as mistreatment is sickening.