ENABLE Scotland's statement in relation to the BBC Panorama broadcast on 31 May 2011
Peter Scott, CEO of ENABLE Scotland, the leading charity of and for people who have learning disabilities in Scotland said:
We
were appalled to witness the abuse of people who have learning
disabilities shown on Panorama. Now that the victims of this abuse have
been removed to places of safety, the priority must be to learn hard
lessons and to ensure that other vulnerable people are not being treated
in this way in 21st century Britain. There are numerous lessons to
learn.
Firstly,
the importance of robust whistleblowing policies, which are rigorously
implemented, cannot be over-estimated. Much of the abuse that took
place in Winterbourne View could have been prevented if the concerns
raised by a senior nurse had been responded to appropriately by the
organisation that runs the establishment, or the Care Quality
Commission. There are additional lessons for regulators like the Care
Quality Commission (the Scottish equivalent is SCSWIS) about the
assessment of risk in services, and how this risk impacts on the
inspection regime. There are lessons for all providers of care and
support services about how they ensure their services are of good
quality and are delivered within an organisation wide culture of respect
and dignity for all. And there are social lessons about allowing
people who have learning disabilities to live in such large group
settings that can encourage the kind of institutional behaviour that
allowed the actions of staff filmed by Panorama to be tolerated for so
long.
Now
that this abuse has been exposed, it is reassuring to see that the
relevant authorities, including the Police, are taking robust action
against the individuals concerned. This too will send a message that
the abuse of vulnerable people will not be tolerated in our society. |