Leading care charities and associations call for Government action on care failures
The Action on Elder Abuse charity is among those to have questioned the role of healthcare organisations the Care Quality Commission and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, after the BBC Panorama programme broadcast on Monday evening once again caused outrage over care home abuse that regulators failed to uncover.
Chief executive Gary Fitzgerald has called on the Government to make an “immediate statement” and pledge its commitment to restoring public confidence in regulatory bodies, to answer care funding issues within local authorities, to ensure that courts have the power to sentence care workers effectively, and that care providers are held accountable for abusive staff.
Mr Fitzgerald commented: “It is not enough to say that lessons must be learned because they are the same lessons, repeated over and over again, and they are not being learned. And all the while, older people suffer and in some cases die. This needs action, not words or intentions or plans for the future.
The chief executive then went on to challenge Government ministers to comment on the issue, saying: “We trust that the current silence from Ministers about the Panorama programme signals imminent statements of intent, and we look forward to hearing those. Certainly, we need urgency in terms of bringing forward adult safeguarding legislation, including powers of entry and intervention where necessary. In that context, it is worth remembering that the majority of elder abuse, 67 per cent, happens in our communities behind the closed family front door.”
The English Community Care Association (ECCA) was also amongst those calling for action from the Government, with chief executive Martin Green saying: “The Panorama Programme was truly shocking and there is a real need to learn lessons from this incident and make sure it does not happen again.
“The Dignity Commission has called for the establishment of a Social Care Quality Forum and ECCA is calling on the Government to establish this as a matter of urgency to ensure we identify the causes of poor care and eradicate them from the system”.
