A damning report calling for radical change in care homes reinforces the views of campaigning parents.
The parents have been battling to stop authorities placing children with learning disabilities into care or hospital treatment centres.
Sometimes authorities place the children many miles from home.
Support of parents
Now, an official report calling for radical change has come out in support of parents who have campaigned against the current setup.
“There is huge anger. People want to see change and the system has to reflect that now”: Sir Stephen Bubb
The National Health Service in England commissioned Sir Stephen Bubb to write the report. His brief was to look at how it could address ‘serious shortcomings’ in care.
The impetus for the report was the abuse uncovered at Winterbourne View, a care home for people with learning disabilities in Bristol. The home also housed people with autism.
Abuse at Winterbourne View shocked the nation when an undercover journalist filmed it for a Panorama TV documentary.
Call for more community-based care
Sir Stephen is advocating closing institutions ‘that hurt rather than help people’ and has called for more community-based care.
He has recommended that the government, NHS and local government regulators instigate the report’s recommendations without delay. He highlighted the way the system had ‘failed’ people with learning disabilities.
Sir Stephen said: “There is huge anger. People want to see change and the system has to reflect that now.”
He said he believes there is a will at the top to make the radical change he has called for. However, he added that the report’s working group would be reconvening in six months and again in a year’s time to check on progress.
Recommendations for radical change
The recommendations include:
• The introduction of a charter of rights for people with learning disabilities and/or autism and their families.
• A planned closure programme of ‘inappropriate’ in-patient facilities
• The launch of a social investment fund to build community-based services
• A right for people with learning disabilities and their families to challenge decisions and the right to request a personal budget.
The report also recommends improved training and education for NHS, local government and service provider staff. This is likely to strike a welcome note for families who have campaigned to raise awareness of children with learning difficulties and/or autism who have died while in the care of NHS staff.
Published: 26 November 2014
