Panorama - Undercover: Elderly Care

JackyS

Registered User
Mar 14, 2010
175
0
Cheshire
Jacky, please believe me, there are some very good care homes. My own husband who I love more than life itself, is residing in a very good care home.

Your job when the time comes, will be to find them! And when you do find one and if your mother is a resident there, to be actively involved with her care. You sound like the sort of person who would be alert to any signs of poor care and not afraid of complaining loudly and long until you are happy.

However horrifying the thought of having your mother residing in a care home is in view of tonight's programme, remember that it was her vigilant daughter who brought it to light!

Do your homework, find the best care home you can, and visit as often as you can: visit at least twice, or more if you can, watch how staff interact with each other and with residents, watch if the manager ever actually leaves the office and interracts with staff and residents, have a meal at the home and eat the food yourself. Meal times are a good period to watch as often staff are very hard pressed to care for high dependancy residents at this busy time. Do your homework!

Be vigilent and active if your mother does go into the care home, especially if she becomes immobile and unable to communicate with you and remember, caring for a person doesn't end when they go into residential care. You will still be a very important 'player' in the care of your mother.

xxTinaT

Wow Tina, thank you so much - you've really helped to lift my spirits and inject some strength again. I hope we can talk again, as I follow you on this awful journey. Good night x
 

elaine n

Registered User
Jun 1, 2010
4,565
0
west country uk
I watched the programme after a battle with myself - I didn.t really want to see it having seen some earlier clips and it's left me feeling depressed and tearful. That poor, poor lady, how can anyone behave that way towards someone so frail and vulnerable? Low wages is no excuse - there is no excuse! So the police don't recommend people use concealed cameras - well bully for them!!! Without one there would have been no proof of abuse. Perhaps care homes should have cctv cameras in all residents rooms, staff who really care shouldn't have anything to fear from them and 'carers' who don't care would have to behave properly. I thank God that Gary had a good care home and a Filipino carer who was wonderful with him and found ways to work round his fear and agression in a gentle, positive way - he was heaven sent. We were lucky but everyone should be able to expect that level of care
 

beech mount

Registered User
Sep 1, 2008
1,524
0
Manchester
We should remember that this treatment is not restricted to "Care" homes as i know to my cost it also happens in hospitals with qualified staff. As Tina said "get involved and be there"
John.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,443
0
Kent
I am well aware of abusive care and witnessed fear on my mother`s face in her first home. Needless to say I reported the home [ in those days it was to SS ] and got her out as soon as I could.

I have recorded tonight`s programme as I don`t have the stomach to watch it yet. I commend all whistle blowers. It`s the only way to draw attention to abusive care.
 

handyjack

Registered User
Oct 6, 2011
151
0
Sadly I missed the program, but have watched two clips from it (I'm waiting on it becoming available on BBC i Player) .The clips I have seen show 2 carers drag lifting the resident and the other one shows the assault by the male carer (I'd use the term carer/s very loosely) The only points I can make is that drag lifting is illegal. Obviously these two carers lack training, empathy, and a total disregard towards the dignity and respect of the person in their care. Hopefully, they will never work in the care industry again.
The male carer, should never have been allowed in a room with a female resident, on his own (perhaps the home is /was lacking staff ??) However that's no excuse. I sincerely hope this vile person is /has been prosecuted to the full extent the law allows (probably not enough though) Absolutely shameful.
I'm sure that this program will be used in many training courses in the future, related to the care of dementia patients. At least some good will come from this.
 
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beech mount

Registered User
Sep 1, 2008
1,524
0
Manchester
Jayne, i have just read the care homes statement, are they saying that these members of staff did not work with any other residents? This is whitewash with a very large brush.
John.
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
John - I'm not reading it like that. They are saying it was an isolated incident which may or may not be accurate (personally I find it hard to believe that only one resident would have been singled out like this, but there obviously isn't proof of other cases), but they aren't saying that those members of staff didn't work with any other residents.
 

Loopiloo

Registered User
May 10, 2010
6,117
0
Scotland
Sadly I missed the program, but have watched two clips from it (I'm waiting on it becoming available on BBC i Player) .The clips I have seen show 2 carers drag lifting the resident and the other one shows the assault by the male carer (I'd use the term carer/s very loosely)
The male carer, should never have been allowed in a room with a female resident, on his own (perhaps the home is /was lacking staff ??) However that's no excuse. I sincerely hope this vile person is /has been prosecuted to the full extent the law allows (probably not enough though) Absolutely shameful.
I'm sure that this program will be used in many training courses in the future, related to the care of dementia patients. At least some good will come from this.

The male carer got an 18 month sentence. But will he serve the full sentence or will it
be only 9 months or so.... Even 18 months is not a long enough sentence.

I hope you are right about some good will come from this. But I'm a cynic. This will not be the only care home in Britain where such things happen. Yes there are good homes, and good carers who genuinely do care. But....

Loo
 

TinaT

Registered User
Sep 27, 2006
7,097
0
Costa Blanca Spain
Many thanks for the link to the statement from the Head Office of the Care Home Management:

Quotes from the Head Office


This was an isolated incident, as demonstrated by thorough investigations by the police, London Borough of Camden and the Care Quality Commission alike, and it is an important reminder that an individual who has been provided with all the appropriate training may still commit a criminal act even in the most professionally run and highly regulated environment

Did the Head Office expect her to continue to let the abuse continue until she had video that other staff behaved in the same way? Why has the management not shown that they have put robust policies into place which enforce daily management involvement in every aspect of care?
A large company employing many individuals has a duty to ensure that care is of the right quality and not to have to refer to outside bodies to confirm this!. If the young staff at my local MacDonalds had behaved in even the slightest manner in which the employees of this care company had behaved, they would not have been working for that large multinational chain for long!! Such an answer reinforces the fact that they have made no proper attempt to check the pervading culture of all the carers within the home.

When the male carer was arrested the four female carers were also immediately suspended. We made several requests to the family to view the footage in order to complete the disciplinary process, which they agreed to in November 2011.
Immediately subsequent to that we completed proceedings and all four were dismissed. From the time the allegations were made until their dismissal these individuals did not work again for the company.

A case of shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted if ever I heard of one.


It is also important to note that the family had not raised concerns with the home manager prior to showing her the video footage on 22nd June 2011.

I'm pretty sure that the daughter had worries and concerns about the buising on her mother but didn't want such worries to be brushed under the carpet without some evidence. Management has a wonderful knack of giving plausible excuses instead of properly investigating as I know to my cost. I was worried and concerned about the bruises on my husband when he was in an assessment ward and the answers I got from staff when I enquired left me just as puzzled, worried and concerned. I only wish I could have secretly filmed what was actually happening instead of my concern being 'brushed under the carpet'.

This response is an insult to our intelligence! The daughter justifiably felt this was another 'slap on the cheek' to get such a reply.
xxTinaT
 

Loopiloo

Registered User
May 10, 2010
6,117
0
Scotland
We should remember that this treatment is not restricted to "Care" homes as i know to my cost it also happens in hospitals with qualified staff. As Tina said "get involved and be there"
John.

I agree.

Qualified staff in hospitals nursing and 'caring' for non-dementia parents unfortunately too often do not have a clue when it comes to patients with dementia.

It is not their fault, most have probably never had contact with anyone with dementia, nor full training in nursing and caring for dementia patients. But you do not need training ( or should not) in having compassion, human kindness and genuine caring for vulneral people. If hospital staff lack these qualities they are in the wrong profession.

Although I did recently read somewhere that student nurses are actually being trained in compassion.........

Fortunately there are hospital staff who do have such qualities. Last month I spent three weeks in hospital. Of all the different shifts on duty during my three weeks, the best nurse was a 24 year old first year student nurse. She could have taught the fully qualified staff a thing or two concerning the above mentioned qualities. She had the patience of a saint, nothing was too much trouble for her, concerning elderly non-dementia patients and those who did have dementia. Sadly I cannot say the same for most of the others.

Loo
 

Jayne61

Registered User
Aug 28, 2011
31
0
Staffordshire
[/I]
A large company employing many individuals has a duty to ensure that care is of the right quality and not to have to refer to outside bodies to confirm this!. If the young staff at my local MacDonalds had behaved in even the slightest manner in which the employees of this care company had behaved, they would not have been working for that large multinational chain for long!! Such an answer reinforces the fact that they have made no proper attempt to check the pervading culture of all the carers within the home.
xxTinaT

I agree, if 5 staff were removed as a result of this it does make you wonder about the culture within the home & organisation as a whole.
 

tre

Registered User
Sep 23, 2008
1,352
0
Herts
Having watched the programme I felt very sad at the abuse. I know not all homes are like that. The one my mum was in had carers from all over the world, dad said "it is like the united nations in here" but I went a lot and at different times and never saw anyone dealing with the most awkward situation ever be cruel or cross or treating the patient like aninconvenience or less than human.
However thank goodness the daughter did the filming as I am sure otherwise it would have been denied. I cannot for the life of me see how the home can be so sure it was an isolated incident. They did not know this was going on so why on earth should we believe they knew anything else. The only thing that was isolated was that this incident was filmed. Are they saying it was just this lady they picked on?Well she was not even particularly awkward. In my mums CH this lady would be regarded as one of the compliant ones. And not to greet her and to explain to her what they were doing. Again at the very least they were not properly trained but then what was the management up to? How come a male carer was giving the bath when the care plan specifically requested this should not happen? I do not beleve these people only looked after this one lady and whatever the managers might say they came over as having not a caring bone in their bodies and I find it very hard to believe that this attitude would change when they were behind closed doors with other residents either.
It amazes me that failing schools can be named and shamed, and the children are not there 24/7 but there seems to be no mechanism for naming and shaming failing care homes. Also it would be so helpful to know the names of the places that are good. Our dementia sufferers are vulnerable and often cannot speak up for themselves or if they do are disbelieved. A bit like the choirboys and the priests a while back. They need a regulator who is up to the job of looking after their interests and the Care Quality Commission is useless.
Tre
 

JackyS

Registered User
Mar 14, 2010
175
0
Cheshire
Having watched the programme I felt very sad at the abuse. I know not all homes are like that. The one my mum was in had carers from all over the world, dad said "it is like the united nations in here" but I went a lot and at different times and never saw anyone dealing with the most awkward situation ever be cruel or cross or treating the patient like aninconvenience or less than human.
However thank goodness the daughter did the filming as I am sure otherwise it would have been denied. I cannot for the life of me see how the home can be so sure it was an isolated incident. They did not know this was going on so why on earth should we believe they knew anything else. The only thing that was isolated was that this incident was filmed. Are they saying it was just this lady they picked on?Well she was not even particularly awkward. In my mums CH this lady would be regarded as one of the compliant ones. And not to greet her and to explain to her what they were doing. Again at the very least they were not properly trained but then what was the management up to? How come a male carer was giving the bath when the care plan specifically requested this should not happen? I do not beleve these people only looked after this one lady and whatever the managers might say they came over as having not a caring bone in their bodies and I find it very hard to believe that this attitude would change when they were behind closed doors with other residents either.
It amazes me that failing schools can be named and shamed, and the children are not there 24/7 but there seems to be no mechanism for naming and shaming failing care homes. Also it would be so helpful to know the names of the places that are good. Our dementia sufferers are vulnerable and often cannot speak up for themselves or if they do are disbelieved. A bit like the choirboys and the priests a while back. They need a regulator who is up to the job of looking after their interests and the Care Quality Commission is useless.
Tre

I think the points you make in your last paragraph are particularly valid, Tre (not that the rest aren't by the way!). Surely there must be something we can do around this? I'm now actively looking for a care home that my Mum will need very soon. I don't know anyone locally who has a relative in a care home, so I can't rely on word of mouth. I now know that I can't rely on CQC reports either. Ultimately, I know I must do my own research, but, come on Alzheimers Org - please can I get some help from you (or this lovely community you've helped to set up)??
 

memo

Registered User
Jan 12, 2011
16
0
gwent south wales
Care of the elderly panorama

How sickening that these ignorant carers abusing the eldely patients will we ever have a system that is safe for the aged person.
All carers should have full training.i feel that due to the lack of jobs that some carers just do it for the money, and not with the love and compation that goes with the job all carers should be vetted.i feet so angry watching the abuse towards the patient on the panorama last night
 

jimbo 111

Registered User
Jan 23, 2009
5,080
0
North Bucks
Members may be interested in the following statement

.The Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) is calling for a complete review of the Care Quality Commission, the body which regulates care homes for older people, following the shocking expose on BBC’s Panorama.

The charity’s chair, Judy Downey, has written to the Secretary of State for Health calling for an immediate increase to the frequency of inspections and a complete overhaul in the way they are conducted.

The charity also wants to see a regulator which listens to, and deals appropriately with, individual complaints.

Said Ms Downey “We cannot go on watching the same mistakes being repeated over and over, the government HAS to do something now. We’ve seen evidence, reports from the Health Select Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, the Audit Commission and the Capability Review by the Department of Health all saying the same thing – that CQC is not effectively regulating care homes. At what point is the government going to accept that the regulator is not fit for purpose?”

BBC1’s Panorama shows the shocking treatment meted out to 80-year-old Maria Worroll, a resident at Ash Court Care Centre, a nursing home for older people. Footage, obtained from a hidden camera placed in Mrs Worroll’s room by her concerned daughter, revealed a nurse slapping and treating the dementia sufferer so roughly she cried out in pain.

In a further catalogue of breaches, footage showed four other carers speaking amongst themselves - never once addressing the elderly woman - and restraining her arms whilst feeding her. Five care workers have been dismissed with one of them, the nurse, being sentenced to eighteen months in prison.

The abuse took place in a care home which had previously been given an excellent rating by the Care Quality Commission. In a report published after the victim’s daughter’s had raised the alarm the home was judged as ‘meeting all the essential standards of quality and safety’. Mrs Worroll’s daughter, Jane, had neither been consulted nor interviewed by the inspectors and, as far as the charity is aware, they did not seek to view the damning footage she had secured.

Continued Ms Downey, “We’re appalled that CQC, in their intelligence gathering of this case, didn’t consider it necessary to consult with the key person. The elderly victim in this scenario had done nothing to antagonize her carers and yet not one but five people were shown to have behaved so disgracefully that it resulted in their dismissal with one of them being imprisoned. Alarm bells should have been jangling very loudly at CQC about the culture of this establishment. We just can’t understand the superficial way they appear to have dealt with this case."

“We have lost total faith not just in the frequency of care home inspections but the manner, too, in which they are carried out. The changes we have seen to regulation in the last five years are putting older people more at risk than they’ve ever been in the last twenty five years. We’re going backwards”.

The charity is calling for a minimum of twice yearly inspections to be reinstated in care homes with at least one of them being unannounced and conducted in way which ensures that evidence is properly gathered and scrutinized.

Additionally, they want the regulator to take responsibility for responding to serious complaints about care and conditions in care homes. The charity will be seeking further meetings with the Secretary of State and the regulator as a matter of urgency
 
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jan.s

Registered User
Sep 20, 2011
7,353
0
72
Thanks Kassy for your final statement. I found that programme scary, to think people can treat anyone like that, particularly someone so vulnerable, is beyond belief. As you know I found it even more scary, as the person I care most about, my husband, has just gone into a care home, as it was no longer viable to care for him at home.

I spent a lot of time finding out information about the home, I visited a few times, at different times during the day, totally unannounced, so I could see life as it really is. I found some carers sitting chatting with residents whilst others were busy supporting. Every person I met smiled and spoke to me.

Since he has been there, this friendly treatment has continued. The manager is very much hands on and her door is always open. The residents sometimes take themselves into the nursing station and sit and chat. So far so good.

I must say, I will never feel I can just sit back, I will always be vigilant, as it only takes one bad apple... I think it is also worth remembering that a good manager is vital, knowing what is happening within the home.

The home has an 'open door' policy, so you can visit at any time, let yourself in and share quality time. The staff are always happy to discuss issues or positives with you and listen, knowing that I know R best.

Long may this positive feeling last (even though I miss him loads).

Jan x
 
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Boudeca2007

Registered User
Oct 29, 2011
92
0
It made me weep and now I'm wondering did Mum really fall when she had broke her finger, her hip had a black eye, bruising around her eye etc ?. She could not speak or communicate in any way and had severe cognitive disabilities. I will never know and the anger I feel right now cannot be described in words.
 

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