Work Experience Teenagers Report Care Home Abuse

Teenagers on work experience were forced to blow the whistle about abuse in a care home, despite regular visits from council and health workers. Two 15-year-old girls reported gross neglected in Elmwood Care Home, Bickley to their school, sparking an inspection from the care home watchdog.

They were also with two 16-year-old boys on the work experience placement, which took place in July 2006.

Details of the damning report from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which was not made public but has been obtained by the Bromley Times, have emerged just before the council is to acknowledge Elderly Abuse Awareness Day tomorrow.

Greg Bunnage, father of one of the boys who was on work experience independently at the time, said what his son had told him about his work placement. He said: “One of the chaps, who was a ward manager, wouldn’t get up out of his seat to attend to someone. He told one of the boys not to worry because he’ll be dead soon anyway.”

Social services and PCT staff visited the home every week, but it was not until the inquiry had been launched by CSCI that staff came forward with “serious concerns”.

Secretary of the Community Care Protection Group Sue Sulis, said: “It is something that the statutory authorities should have taken action on very much earlier. None of them raised their concerns until after these children blew the whistle. We believe there has been a cover-up, and that is shameful.”

The two incidents that were reported to CSCI by the children through Bullers Wood School, were both of elderly women. One of the women was caused “pain and distress” by having a catheter inserted inappropriately, the report said, and she was left in a wet bed after it leaked.

Elmwood is run by Christian organisation Mission Care, which aims to promote “the principle of love, care and support”. The organisation also runs the Homefield Care Home, where last year, numerous cases of serious neglect were reported in the Times.

Ms Sulis said: “It made me feel sick when I read about it. These are some of the most vulnerable people in society. Mission Care claims to be a Christian organisation which lives out Christian principles in its care of older people. What we read about in these inspection reports is showing very little evidence of compassion.

“The treatment of these patients is shameful for Mission Care, it is shameful for the council, which has the lead responsibility on adult protection, it is shameful for the PCT and it is shameful for us as a society.”

A spokesman for the PCT said that NHS staff only visit the Intermediate Care Unit of the home, and do not see what happens on the social care side.

A spokesman for Bromley council said: “Prior to the CSCI report we adopted a joint approach between CSCI, ourselves and the primary care trust, to ensure the provider address any quality of care issues and to implement necessary improvements.”

A spokesman for Mission Care refused to give details of whether anyone had been suspended or disciplined as a result of the inspection.

A spokesman for CSCI said: “Following the inspection last August, we carried out further inspections in January this year and March which show that improvements have been made. The home says it is committed to making further improvements for the well-being of the residents. CSCI is monitoring progress at the home to ensure that the improvements are continued.”