Cygnet Yew trees abuse scandal

[Mamathebest]

I haven’t been able to find anything on MN about this. But AIBU that there needs to be more outrage about this??
Staff at a specialist mental health hospital have been caught on CCTV assaulting vulnerable women with learning disabilities. This is absolutely sickening. Up to 10 members of staff have been fired and the hospital has just now been closed down after years of ongoing abuse. This isn’t a one off case it’s systemic abuse. This is also the same company that owned whorlton hall. They are still opening up new units for vulnerable people. How is the government still allowing and paying for this?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/health/hospital-cctv-video-private-essex-cqc-abuse-mental-health-b536261.html%3famp

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/24/essex-hospital-where-staff-abused-patients-was-warned-by-cqc

It's pretty commonplace though isn't it? Maybe less than 5% of care homes and staff are mistreating patients, but given the huge numbers of people in care (elderly, children, vulnerable adults) it's not a surprise that there are examples like this. Even the Guardian article says it is just the "latest in a string of abuse scandals involving care of inpatients with learning disabilities." A lot of people in the care industry are there because they need a job, not because they actually care.

I didn’t know anything about it until now.

That’s all they’ve got suspended/sacked.
They aught to be incarcerated with the big boys/girls. Be interesting to see how ‘tough’ they were then

@contrmary

It's pretty commonplace though isn't it? Maybe less than 5% of care homes and staff are mistreating patients, but given the huge numbers of people in care (elderly, children, vulnerable adults) it's not a surprise that there are examples like this. Even the Guardian article says it is just the "latest in a string of abuse scandals involving care of inpatients with learning disabilities." A lot of people in the care industry are there because they need a job, not because they actually care.

I don't understand your point... It's only a small amount of abuse so it doesn't matter?!

@contrmary
I’m not sure if I understand. Are you saying that if it’s only 5% it doesn’t matter or that it’s very common place? Sorry if I’ve misunderstood.

hospital was closing anyway so I am not sure how effective sacking someone who was already out of a job would have actually effected matters. I highly doubt that it was only 10 staff members who were abusing patients. Wouldn’t the other staff be present and seeing all of this? It’s all quite strange.

Commissioners are sending people’s children’s, siblings and parents to these types of places. It appears that for well over a year the hospital was being investigated by CQC before anything was actually being done. Surely they should also be held accountable here.

I think @contrmary’s point might be that it’s commonplace and that’s why it doesn’t attract more outrage.

I think it’s that, and the fact that the victims are people on the margins of society.

Cygnet Healthcare has been involved in too many scandals, it is absolutely shocking that they are able to continue.

I have huge reservations about the appropriateness of private hospitals like this anyway.

Absolutely awful. How do a group of people all become involved with something like this? I understand sometimes there’s one ‘bad’ person but how do a whole group of people willing to abuse the vulnerable end up together. Makes you think there’s more of them out there than you want to believe.

As for sacking them, that hardly seems like a punishment. Hopefully they aren’t able to get a job anywhere else.

The first scandal is that people are placed in these homes in the first place. They're institutionalised, often without the agreement of their families, when they could live in the community with appropriate support.

Then there is the atrocious way that they are treated when they are in the homes. They're treated like they're not human beings, which in turn results in behaviour which justifies further restriction on their liberty.

Lots of people don't care that much about people with learning disabilities. I don't think it hits home until you have personal experience, be it as a patient, family member, carer etc.

As I recall from the previous scandal, an ex employee had to take it to a tv company, because his repeated reports of abuse to the CQC went ignored. They are bloody useless.

If anyone is interested, please look up the story of Thomas Rawnsley, a young man who died whilst in the care of a home for people with learning disabilities (not owned by Cygnet). Five years on his family are still searching for explanations. There is a Facebook group called IAmThomas that details their journey, and the living conditions he had to ensure.

Absolutely awful. How do a group of people all become involved with something like this? I understand sometimes there’s one ‘bad’ person but how do a whole group of people willing to abuse the vulnerable end up together. Makes you think there’s more of them out there than you want to believe.

People's standards of what is acceptable become eroded when they are exposed to a culture of abuse.

Obviously individuals are responsible for what they do, but the system needs to be examined also.