Review into abuse at Clinton House and Morleigh Group Homes published
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Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Adults Board have today published their long-awaited review into residential care and nursing homes owned and operated by The Morleigh Group.
In 2016, an undercover BBC Panorama investigation showed evidence of neglect and abuse by staff. A team of undercover journalists working for Panorama either took jobs at Clinton House or were admitted as residents requiring care. While there they recorded footage that showed staff levels did not allow sufficient care to be provided to residents, and as a result there were incidences of neglect.
Following the BBC Panorama programme, Clinton House was closed and the other homes sold.
This latest report by the Safeguarding Adults Board identifies a number of issues:
- Nearly 400 incidents or safeguarding concerns or alerts were raised about residents being at risk
- 80 whistleblower reports
- 44 CQC inspections which identified concerns
- 130 reports made to police
Reports included:
- Abuse
- Neglect
- Insufficient food
- No hot water
- No heating
- Residents sharing a single bathroom
The detailed report shows that concerns were first raised in respect of Clinton House in 2014, although no significant action was taken against the provider until after the BBC Panorama programme in 2016.
I acted for former residents in their claims for personal injury arising from the Panorama programme and wider investigations. Whilst this report is welcome, it also serves to highlight on how many levels the residents were failed by those who had responsibility for ensuring their safety. The statistics show that so many opportunities were missed by so many people to intervene at an earlier stage. The impact of these levels of abuse and neglect has had a long-lasting and significant impact on the former residents and their families. This is a clear opportunity to put processes in place to prevent such wide-scale issues occurring again.
