Whistleblower accuses staff of ‘appalling’ abuse at care home

One of Britain’s leading charities for people with severe learning disabilities has been accused of abusing some of the most vulnerable people under its care, The Observer can reveal.

An employee of United Response, which runs more than 100 care homes across England looking after people with learning disabilities, turned whistle-blower to report on ‘appalling’ events he alleges he witnessed at the company’s Gombards care home in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Two senior members of staff at the home have been suspended, although the company claims this is unrelated to accusations of abuse.

The most shocking allegations levelled against the home include:

· a 35-year-old man strapped to his wheelchair for hours each day so that he almost lost his ability to walk and suffered damage to his feet as he struggled to get free;

· a man given his daily medication while strapped to the toilet and crying;

· improper medication procedures for people in care, risking overdose;

· adults left caked in their own excrement for hours during the night.

The allegations will highlight growing concerns over how people with severe learning disabilities are looked after in homes. Many of the alleged victims have the mental ages of young children and are unable to speak or communicate.

In the case of the Gombards home, the whistle-blower was a senior support worker who had worked for United Response for 19 months. He raised his concerns last year, prompting an investigation by the company and Hertfordshire County Council. The Observer has obtained details of his allegations, which he documented in writing at the time and have since been investigated by United Response.

In one signed statement regarding the use of strapping to restrain a resident, John (not his real name), he writes: ‘Since our meeting I have tried to stop staff from strapping John’s feet but have met with resistance on a number of occasions… his feet strapping is a daily event… John’s feet are strapped and his trousers pulled down over the straps by staff.

‘I kept telling everyone that if John’s feet are strapped all day and every day he will lose the use of them… John never went walkabout in or around the grounds. The only walking he did was from the sitting room down to the toilet or his bedroom.’ He alleges that John’s struggle to get free left his feet red-raw.

In another complaint, he wrote about the way John was given his medication on the toilet: ‘I was very upset. I walked away very angry at witnessing John’s distress… being given drugs while he was at his most vulnerable, not to mention being restricted by the body straps holding him down.’

The whistle-blower claims some staff regularly fabricated records to show they had taken individuals on leisure activities such as walks, swimming or to a disco. In reality, he claims, most were kept in the home while the staff watched television.

John’s father, Michael, who has only just been alerted to the allegations about the care of his son, has now written to the company and Hertfordshire County Council demanding action and threatening legal action.

‘It became clear that my son’s standard of care had fallen far below any acceptable standard,’ he said. ‘An institutionalised culture of neglect appears to have developed over the years. It is all too easy to mistreat people who are not able to stand up for themselves.’

Health service watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, recently launched a nationwide review into the care of people with severe learning disabilities, following investigations into two other institutions, The Budock Hospital in Cornwall and St Luke’s Hospital in Norfolk.

A statement by United Response referring to the Gombards allegations said: ‘In 2005 a number of allegations were made about a service run by United Response. The allegations came to light as part of United Response’s whistle-blowing process and were taken very seriously. An experienced manager was brought in to carry out a full investigation, and a comprehensive report, which detailed actions to be taken, was produced.

‘All these actions have now been put in place, including providing additional staff and management support at the service. All issues have now been dealt with and best practice is being observed at the service. Ensuring the wellbeing of all the people we support is our top priority at all times.’

The company said its decision to suspend two members of staff ‘follows an allegation of staff misconduct and is not connected in any way to the care of the people at the service’.

Hertfordshire County Council, which was responsible for inspecting the Gombards home, said: ‘We can confirm that concerns about poor care practice at Gombards were raised, have been investigated and we are satisfied that they are being addressed.’

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