Panorama - Learning Disability Hospital abuse

[BakeliteBelle]

I know it is on AIBU, but why no debate on here? Did anyone watch it?

I forced myself to watch it because one of the factors in abuse of people with learning disabilities is the fact that good people who care, stand by and do nothing because they can't bear to believe it is possible.

I cried watching it and feel so utterly distressed that as my DS reaches 18, I won't be able to care for him at home because he is too challenging, but I can't bear the thought of what might happen to him away from us...

Too, too distressing. I want those bastards to be done for torture and find out what it is to be hurt and bullied and stamped on themselves.

What the fuck are LA's funding learning disability hospitals for anyway? They were meant to have closed years ago - why on earth are private companies receiving funding to open new hospitals? It beggars belief.

I won't sleep tonight

Oh bloody hell BakliteBelle -the shared ownership sounded good. How short sighted to get rid of it.
The ILF is a great loss.
zzzzz is right - if you had access to the sort of money misused on crap services you and your son would have a service you want/ need.
Not sure what to say.. hope someone comes along with some useful advice for your situation.

I watched it on I player with my niece n eldest non disabled daughter. Of course we all cried.
Can I say though that although this goes on a lot there are also good places which really do care. My eldest works in one and the level of care the residents get is brilliant. She was horrified at some of the things they were doing like putting locks/keypads on internal doors; this is illegal apparently and the place she works only has them on outside doors like the kitchen door and the front door etc. This is clearly for reasons of safety and no resident in this place is ever locked up or forced into their room, and God help anyone who lays a hand on them! One Support worker got sacked for a very minor thing recently, something and nothing but still against the rights of the resident (who also flound it all very funny). They are very strict with staff and are always sending them on courses, NVQ's etc.
I wish there were more like this place and less like the one shown : (

sounds great unpa. Can I ask where they are based?

I really hope such abuse does not go on a lot unpa1dcar3r.
I watched program through tears and anger and disbelieved horror too.
I keep looking in papers and news for more on this issue but all seems quiet at the moment. I have said it before.. I hope it is due to court cases pending.
Oh I so hope those 'carers' go to prison and 'heads roll' in the Inspection sector.
I truly hope Simone, Simon and the other former residents of this hospital are recovering from their ordeal and are safe and in warm homely places.

just Googled Winterbourne View Hospital and it does seem action / investigtions are going to take place at government level but care must be taken not to prejudice criminal proceedings. 2 x further arrests have recently taken place too.

I don't really think I should say specifically Bakelite but it's north wales area.

You could always pm BakeliteBelle if you are concerned about being too public unpa1d.
Unless she is in North Wales though probably not a help unfortunately.

thanks unpa. Well away from me sadly but good to know it exists

I would hope that I am one of those nurses that bakelitebelle talks about, along with my colleagues. unfortunatley, the nhs does not place learning disability nurses high on their agenda of specific nursing specialities. take this year - our local uni has lost the right to provide learning disability pre-registration degrees or diplomas. Now there is one uni providing for several counties. I manage a team including four other LD nurses - one of which is still sitting in a support worker post due to the lack of posts / opportunities to practise. This is a common situation across all our NHS provision.

Yes twinkly, it seems you are right and Learning Disability nurse training is not a priority, while general, paediatric, midwifery and mental health nursing is.

I don't even care if they are not called nurses. I just think there should be a dedicated training that is as thorough as nurse training.

It is such a shame Twinkle. We need more dedicated people like you but sadly not a priority as usual; disability at the bottom of the pile!
I have had awful experiences in hospitals with my boys, people just don't 'get it'. One got told recently to 'Shut up' by our GP as he rabbits when he's anxious. Wasn't bothering me, i'm used to it and understand him, but she clearly didn't and didn't care either. It was so rude and made him even more anxious and upset. I did complain. Never got an apology, just excuses trying to say it was a misunderstanding! Nothing to misunderstand though; she told him to 'Shuuuut Up' and i got the right bloody hump about it. Straightforward enough.

Yes unpaidcarer 'misunderstanding' or in care standards case re this hospital 'misjudgement'... Its not good enough.
There needs to be a major change in societal attitude, and training nurses, Gps, carers etc to understand and behave appropriately would be a start.
The vulnerable should not be at the 'bottom of the pile' - we as a society should be judged by how the most vulnerable members of our society are treated. At the moment we as society are failing terribly.

I was LD trained too and very much in favour of the social model of disability and then I qualified and went to work in an institution, loved the client group, who were considered very difficult, but I have my own views as to why the young people were difficult and their triggers.

I miss the contact with the young people but I don't miss working in an institution which I perceive to be part of the problem rather than the solution.

Well said twoboys. Here here.

Been trying to update myself and been reading about the Independent Living Fund. It will not be giving money to new people from 2015 - such a backward step. The ILF was/ is a life line to so many.
I keep having to come back to this thread. I can't let it go.
I keep picturing Simone...
I will keep coming back - Sorry!

I will too!

Checking winterbourne view stories daily by googling. It seems this terrible abuse haunting many. Lets hope promises of shake ups and investigations happen effectively and asap.
Morning BakeliteBelle...

I too keep checking Winterbourne View stories and as yet....no news.

One thing I do wonder is, how come no one at the CQC has been suspended/dismissed? A man (can't remember his name) interviewed during the Panorana program representing the CQC was asked WHY they chose to ignore the whistleblowing by a senior nurse (Terry B) ? He couldn't answer the question as to why he (or his organisation of well paid, well qualified personnel) allowed the mental and physical abuse of these vulnerable adults to continue.

Shouldn't he, or SOMEONE be suspended immediately? He can't do his job. Or, chose not to. He is incompetent. Not up to the position for which my guess is, he's paid a small fortune.

I used to be an Occ Health Advisor for a large company who, if I'd not been up to my job, or worse, allowed an abuse of the system which resulted in an incident/injury to a company member, I'd have been suspended/relieved of my position. Especially, had I been warned, repeatedly of the danger of this happening.

It astonishes me that we as tax payers keep these people in their jobs. How often do we hear some utterly awful story on the news about the abuse of a child, resulting in torture and physical injury/death? And then it all comes out that those departments responsible for working with said family and child DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB PROPERLY. Heads roll. As they ought. But I want to see that bloke at the CQC and the Winterbourne View Chairman (who was and [anger] at what had been happening whilst he and others were raking in the £3,500 per person per week from those in (ultimately) HIS care, I want to see them sacked. For incompetence. For turning a blind eye. For "joining in" the abuse. They might as well have done.

Christ....I'm LIVID about this!!!

They just don't care Wendi. For all their big salaries and fance titles, they just don't give a sh*t.

I was told the ILF is now only giving to those working 16 hrs plus per week. Insane! Who the hell would employ my boys?
Just another way of getting out of paying money to those who need it most.

So the ILF will be for more able people - while it lasts. I know people who had 24 hour care who had as part of their support package ILF workers. These people needed intensive support and lived in their own homes. Individual support at its best in the communities they had grown up in. So it's good bye to all that then for future people. How very sad.

wendi, it really is extraordinary that the Head of the CQC has retained her job.

I looked at their website the other day - no mention of Winterbourne or Panorama. Business as usual for them it seems, while we are all reeling from the shock. Must check again.

Wendihouse I feel that although there has been a 'fuss' it is nowhere near the scale that it would have been if the victims had been children [or older people?].
What does that say about our society?

Says it all 2 boys.
I remember reading an article (think in Telegraph) about a yr or so ago, written by a lady who was horrified by something she'd watched on Celebrity Big Brother.
The 'something' was that as Vinnie Jones came out of the house he said to Davina 'you are walking like a rtard'. The author waited for the outrage, the public response of horror at such a vile sentiment...it never came, no complaints mentioned, nothing mentioned in fact.
Now go back to when Our good old Jade called Shilpa Shetty a pki...and remember the response from the media and the public alike (rightly so) and how much it boosted Shetty's career from one simple word that is considered racist.
So to summise, you can call someone a really vile name if it's a disabled name but you can't get away with using a racist name.
Of course neither is acceptable but how come one is considered abhorrent while the other is ignored?????