Four arrests over hospital ‘abuse’

The BBC’s Panorama, broadcast on Tuesday, highlighted apparent misconduct at Winterbourne View residential hospital in Bristol – including allegations that carers routinely abused vulnerable adults with learning difficulties.

The hospital’s operator Castlebeck said it was “shocked” by the allegations, and it has suspended 13 members of staff. Police have also launched a probe and arrested four people, who have since been released on bail.

All patients have been moved to safety.

The secret recordings appear to show carers punching and slapping vulnerable adults, dousing them in cold water, and pinning them to the ground with chairs. They were filmed in February and March this year.

One clinical psychologist, Andrew McDonnell, said the treatment was tantamount to torture.

He said: “This is not a jail…people are not here to be punished. This is a therapeutic environment. Where’s the therapy in any of this? I would argue this is torture.”

Questions to answer
The abuses apparently uncovered by the BBC's Panorama at Winterbourne View in Bristol have shocked many. 

David Congdon, head of campaigns and policy at Mencap, says questions need to be asked over how the abuses were missed as Channel 4 News looks into how care homes and residential hospitals are regulated.

Read more from Channel 4 News: who regulates care homes? 

Regulatory failures

A former nurse at the hospital complained to the managers and to the regulatory body, the Care Quality Commission, about what was happening at the hospital – but neither of the complaints was followed up.

Where’s the therapy in any of this? I would argue this is torture. Psychologist Andrew McDonnell

The managers received a complaint in October last year, but said the whistle-blowing policy was not followed correctly and it was not brought to the attention of the board.

The company is now in consultation with the authorities on the future of Winterbourne, which cares for 24 patients, employs 50 staff and is funded by taxpayers. It has also launched an internal investigation into the failures and commissioned an independent review.

In a statement, Castlebeck said: “The company would like to reiterate its distress at the allegations, and to acknowledge that they are therefore significantly more distressing for the families of those involved.

“As the matter is now in the hands of the police, we are not able to disclose any more specific details about the allegations at this time.”

Review of Castlebeck services

The Care Quality Commission also said it should have acted more quickly to investigate problems at the hospital after receiving a complaint.

“Following an internal review, we recognise that there were indications of problems at this hospital which should have led to us taking action sooner,” it said.

“We apologise to those who have been let down by our failure to act more swiftly to address the appalling treatment that people at this hospital were subjected to.”

In response to the issues uncovered by Panorama, the CQC said it had carried out three unannounced inspection visits of the hospital and taken steps to ensure the hospital will not admit any new patients.

The CQC has started an immediate review of all services run by the hospital’s operator, Castlebeck, and written to Care Services Minister Paul Burstow proposing that they launch a programme of risk-based and random unannounced inspections of a sample of the 150 hospitals providing care for people with learning disabilities.