Agenda item

The Committee will received a presentation on the Winterbourne View Hospital.

The Committee received a presentation from the Community Learning Disability Services Manager on the Winterbourne View Hospital.  The Hospital was exposed on a BBC Panorama programme in May 2011, where a catalogue of bad practice and abuse was exposed.  This included:

·         Douching patients with water whilst fully clothed

·         Poking patients in the eye

·         Water from flower vase being poured over a patients head

·         Mouthwash poured over patients

·         Hitting and slapping of patients

·         Pulling patients across the floor

·         Patients being held down and pinned under a chair.

The Committee agreed with this happening in 2011, it was understandable why there was so much parental resilience to the previous item, given the abuse highlighted at Winterbourne View.

Following the Panorama Programme a number of safeguarding boards were established together with reviews of the hospital.  Criminal proceedings were taken against the care workers in the hospital.  6 out of 11 care workers admitted a total of 38 charges of neglect or abuse of patients had been jailed.  5 others were given suspended sentences.

Officers added that all staff employed at Winterbourne View were qualified to carry out the care of people with learning disabilities, however the hospital itself was an in-patients service for assessment and treatment, which should be a short term/ respite care facility.  It was found that some patients had been living at the hospital for over 3 years.  The location of Winterbourne View was in an industrial estate, families were ushered into a communal lounge when visiting, could not see their children in the privacy of their own room and often personal things went missing.  Officers stated that providers should be welcoming, opening and engage with families so that there is transparency and these issues are avoided.

The Committee was informed that Havering had 27 homes for adults with learning disabilities, the largest had 34 beds, however this was due for closure as the building was not fit for purpose.  All the residents were being accommodated elsewhere in the borough at suitable premises.  The smallest home had 3 beds.  There were 15 supported living units and 7 day providers.  The client base was fairly small with around 600 people with learning disabilities.  The homes were based around the borough, with a large cluster in the north of the borough (Harold Hill) and fewer in the south of the borough (Rainham).  There were 78 people living outside of the borough, as far out as Wales, Devon and Gloucestershire, however the majority lived in the borders of Essex.  Most of these people living outside the borough, did so to be close to family members.

There were a number of support and monitoring systems in Havering to support adults with learning disabilities and autism.  These included the Safeguarding Board, the Quality and Suspension Team, the Learning Disability Partnership Board (which reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board), the Community Learning Disability Service, a multi-disciplinary team of nurses, psychology, psychiatrist, social workers etc.  There were also links with individual clients, their families and the local police.  All information was shared with the Care Quality Commission.  Robust safeguarding training programmes were in place, which were also shared with all voluntary and independent providers as well as council owned projects.

The Committee discussed at length the issues around abuse and bad practice, and how the service can deal with these in a respectful manner.  Officers stated that the views of carers’ and family members were not listened to, in the Winterbourne case, and therefore safeguarding issues were not highlighted.  Havering carried out unannounced visits once a year to every establishment, as do the CQC.  The officers had good relationships with the service users and were therefore able to have informal discussion with users as well as carry out observations and ensure that all paperwork is up to date.

The Committee was informed of the Whistleblowing procedure which was in place.  In the event of a “whistleblower” the team would meet with the Chief Executive of the organisation, carry out spot visits, inform the CQC of any finding and raise a safeguarding alert on the premise.

The Committee discussed the issues around abuse and bad practice, and how the service could deal with these in a respectful manner.  A member felt that CCTV cameras should be installed to protect the interest of both the residents and the staff.  The rest of the Committee felt that this was an infringement of human rights.