Winterbourne View hospital abuse

{{Short description|Institutional abuse of patients in England}} {{Use British English|date=March 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}

The Winterbourne View hospital inquiry occurred at Winterbourne View, a private hospital at Hambrook, South Gloucestershire, England, owned and operated by Castlebeck.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/caring-homes-healthcare-group |title=GA HC REIT II CH U.K. SENIOR HOUSING PORTFOLIO LIMITED, SW1H 0AD 21 PALMER STREET Financial Information |website=Companiesintheuk.co.uk |date= |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> A ''Panorama'' investigation, broadcast on television in 2011, exposed the physical and psychological abuse suffered by people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour at the hospital.<ref>{{cite web|first=Paul |last=Kenyon |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011pwt6 |title= Panorama, Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed |website=BBC One |date=31 May 2011 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

Castlebeck was owned by Lydian Capital Partners, an investment firm based in Geneva and backed by a consortium including three Irish billionaires: Denis Brosnan, Dermot Desmond and J.P. McManus.<ref>{{cite web |first=Randeep |last=Ramesh |title=Care home firm at centre of abuse allegations closes third unit |url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug17/castlebeck-care-home-close-unit |website=The Guardian |date=17 August 2011 |access-date=12 October 2023}}</ref>

Local social services and the English national regulator (Care Quality Commission) had received various warnings but the mistreatment continued. One senior nurse, Terry Bryan, reported his concerns to the management at Winterbourne View and to CQC, but his complaint was not taken up.<ref name="systematic">{{cite web |title=Winterbourne View 'failed to protect people' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-14181646 |publisher=BBC News |date=18 July 2011 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

The publicly funded hospital was shut down as a result of the abuse that took place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winterbourne View 'abuse' hospital closes on Friday |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-13891855 |publisher=BBC News |date=24 June 2011 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> Another similar Castlebeck unit in Bristol was closed in August 2011 "for operational reasons" and a third, Arden Vale (near Coventry) was closed by agreement with the Care Quality Commission in August 2011. <ref>{{ cite web |first=Randeep |last=Ramesh |title=Care home firm at centre of abuse allegations closes third unit |url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug17/castlebeck-care-home-close-unit |website=The Guardian |date=17 August 2011 |access-date=12 October 2023}}</ref>

==Abuse== The undercover footage showed staff repeatedly assaulting and harshly restraining patients under chairs. Staff gave one patient cold showers as a punishment, left her outside in near freezing temperatures, and later poured mouthwash into her eyes. They pulled patients' hair and forced medication into their mouths. Victims were shown screaming and shaking; one patient was seen trying to jump out of a second-floor window to escape the torment, and was mocked by staff members afterwards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Winterbourne View: Abuse footage shocked nation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-20084254 |publisher=BBC News |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> Another patient was repeatedly poked in the eyes.<ref name="reporter">{{cite news |title=Undercover reporter 'haunted' by abuse of patients |date=31 May 2011 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9501000/9501531.stm |publisher=BBC News |access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref>

A clinical psychologist who reviewed the footage described the abuse as "torture".<ref name="four">{{cite news |title=Four arrests after patient abuse caught on film |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13548222 |publisher=BBC News |date=1 June 2011 |access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref>

==Reaction== On 21 June 2011, 86 people and organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, about the revelations: "We are aware of the various actions currently being taken within and outside government – such as the DH review and CQC internal inquiry. We hope to make submissions to those both individually and collectively. However, on their own these will not be enough and a clear programme is needed to achieve change."<ref>{{cite web |last=McCallum |first=Ann |url=http://www.dimensions-uk.org/news-and-events/response-to-winterbourne-view-interim-report/ |title=Experts available for comment - Dimensions |website=Dimensions-uk.org |date= |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> Cameron responded by saying he was "appalled" at the "catalogue of abuses" uncovered by the BBC TV series ''Panorama''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndti.org.uk/news/archive-news/news-stories-from-2011/prime-minister-responds-to-letter-demanding-action-after-winterbourne-view/ |title=Prime Minister Responds to Letter Demanding Action After Winterbourne View | NDTi |website=Ndti.org.uk |date=12 March 2015 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

In June 2011 the Association of Supported Living issued a press statement, which was followed up in writing to every member of parliament in the United Kingdom, calling for community based supported living services to replace institutional services for people with learning disabilities.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

The ''Daily Telegraph'' said, "It is impossible to read the details of what went on at Winterbourne View, a care home for the severely disabled in Gloucestershire, without feeling repelled. In the wake of an exposé from the BBC's Panorama, 11 members of staff were convicted of almost 40 charges of neglect and ill treatment of those in their care."<ref>{{cite news|title=Telegraph Leader|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/9459049/Reform-the-regulators.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bild.org.uk/news-and-whats-on/winterbourne-view/|title=British Institute of Learning Disabilities Summary|accessdate=14 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Learning Disability Coalition |url=http://www.learningdisabilitycoalition.org.uk/ |publisher=Learning Disability Coalition |date=1 September 2005 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

==Systemic failings== The national regulator, the CQC did a nationwide check on facilities owned by the same company, Castlebeck Care, and as a result three more institutions were closed. The CQC reported a "systemic failure to protect people or to investigate allegations of abuse" and said that Castlebeck Care had "misled" the health watchdog.<ref name="systematic"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Regulator announces third Castlebeck service to close | Care Quality Commission |url=http://www.cqc.org.uk/media/regulator-announces-third-castlebeck-service-close |access-date=27 October 2011 |archive-date=27 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027090534/http://www.cqc.org.uk/media/regulator-announces-third-castlebeck-service-close |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The CQC also came under criticism for failing to respond to early warnings of abuse at the care home. It initially blamed Winterbourne managers who, the CQC said, "effectively misled us by not keeping us informed about incidents".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/cqc-report-winterbourne-view-confirms-its-owners-failed-protect-people-abuse |title=CQC report on Winterbourne View confirms its owners failed to protect people from abuse | Care Quality Commission |website=Cqc.org.uk |date=18 July 2011 |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> However, it later emerged that managers had officially alerted the CQC to numerous allegations of staff abusing patients, dating back to February 2008, which were also reported to the police, but did not lead to any convictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hosted.southglos.gov.uk/wv/report.pdf |title=South Gloucestershire Safeguarding Adults Board |website=Hosted.southglos.gov.uk |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

==Investigations== The CQC also inspected 132 similar institutions and a Serious Case Review was commissioned – some of the roughly ten local and national enquiries were carried out to examine what went wrong, including one by NHS Southwest which was one of the first to be published and list many of the others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.southofengland.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Final-Report-for-publication-Report-of-the-NHS-Review-of-Commissioning-of-Care-and-Treatment-at-Winterbourne-View-30-July-2012.pdf|title=UK Government Web Archive|website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk|accessdate=14 September 2023|archive-date=27 November 2012|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121127132959/http://www.southofengland.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Final-Report-for-publication-Report-of-the-NHS-Review-of-Commissioning-of-Care-and-Treatment-at-Winterbourne-View-30-July-2012.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Other Home Closed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-15092330 |publisher=BBC News |date=28 September 2011 |access-date=9 September 2021}}</ref> The head of the Care Quality Commission resigned ahead of a critical government report, a report in which Winterbourne View was cited.<ref>{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Denis |title=Cynthia Bower Resigns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/feb/23/nhs-watchdog-cynthia-bower-resigns |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=23 February 2012 |access-date=9 September 2021}}</ref> Mencap published a report warning that similar abuse could be going on elsewhere, and calling for the closure of all large institutions far from patients' families.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mencap Report |url=http://www.mencap.org.uk/outofsight |website=Mencap.org.uk |access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>

==Convictions== Eleven people pleaded guilty to criminal offences of neglect or abuse as a result of evidence from Undercover Care, and six of them were jailed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eleventh Guilty Plea |url=http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=25947&t=1&lid=2 |url-status=dead |website=Thisisbristol.co.uk |access-date=23 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611092722/https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=25947&t=1&lid=2 |archive-date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Winterbourne View: Care workers jailed for abuse |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-20092894 |publisher=BBC News |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> Immediately after the eleventh person pleaded guilty, the Serious Case Review was published, revealing hundreds of previous incidents at the hospital, and warnings that were missed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Winterbourne View - South Gloucestershire Council |url=http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/DDE51D39-E8AC-4343-8DDA-7F08B03CBA10 |url-status=dead |access-date=10 August 2012 |archive-date=10 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810012622/http://www.southglos.gov.uk/NR/exeres/DDE51D39-E8AC-4343-8DDA-7F08B03CBA10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Serious Case Review |url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Report-Winterbourne-View-identifies-sustained/story-16661739-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |website=Thisisbritstol.co.uk |date=7 August 2012 |access-date=23 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031042425/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Report-Winterbourne-View-identifies-sustained/story-16661739-detail/story.html |archive-date=31 October 2012}}</ref>

==Media== The BBC programme ''Panorama'' produced an investigation documentary depicting the violations at Winterbourne View Hospital titled "Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed".<ref>{{cite web|title=Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed, Panorama - BBC One|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011pwt6|publisher=BBC|access-date=24 February 2017|quote=Reporter: Paul Kenyon, Undercover Reporter: Joe Casey}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed {{!}} BBC |url=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/undercover-care-the-abuse-exposed/ |website=topdocumentaryfilms.com |publisher=BBC |access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== *[http://hosted.southglos.gov.uk/wv/report.pdf Report] to South Gloucestershire Council on Winterbourne View Hospital, 2012

Category:South Gloucestershire District Category:Learning disabilities Category:Social care in England Category:History of mental health in the United Kingdom Category:2011 in British politics Category:2011 in England Category:2011 in British law Category:Institutional abuse Category:2011 controversies Category:Violence against disabled people in the United Kingdom