Dr Margaret Flynn calls for accountability in residential care for vulnerable people
Why was Winterbourne View Hospital a scandal 10 years ago? BBC Panorama’s Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed during May 2011 had a lot to do with it. It received national news coverage due to the cruelties to which adults with learning disabilities and autism were exposed. These occurred in a private hospital which was being paid, on average, £3.5k per patient, per week from NHS coffers. Although it had an annual turnover of £3.7m, the Care Quality Commission’s light-touch regulation did not notice that the hospital had strayed far from its mandated purpose of assessment and treatment, or even a whistleblower’s three alerts. Panorama’s “breaking news” element stated 13 staff members ...