We need your eyes and ears to prevent elder abuse
20/08/2007
Sharon Grant from The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) has said that current policies on inspection and public involvement "could create a breeding ground for abuse of the elderly in hospitals and residential homes".
Ms Grant, who was speaking out after the Joint Committee on Human Rights report revealed "shocking" levels of abuse last week, believes that the move away from formal inspection, the growing involvement of the independent sector, and the removal of lay visiting rights to hospitals and residential homes will shut the elderly off from the public gaze to an even greater extent than in the past.
Currently, independent Patient Forums have powers to enter and inspect all NHS funded premises, enabling them to monitor and scrutinise concerns made by patients or the public.
But the Local Government and Public Involvement Bill currently before parliament plans to abolish the Forums, replacing them with Local Involvement Networks (LINks), which will have severely curtailed access rights. LINks will be managed through local authorities - who are the providers and commissioners of much elderly care.
Sharon Grant said: "The culture of elder care needs to change, as the Joint Committee has said. But that change will not happen while homes and wards are closed to the public gaze. Abuse and poor standards thrive on secrecy.
"Increasingly, statutory inspection is being undertaken remotely, using self-reporting. On the other hand, independent Patient Forums can be the community’s eyes and ears on the ground. Their work on dignity in care has already shown how vital independent public involvement is in exposing what is really going on in closed environments.
"Care establishments need to be part of communities, not separate from them. The value of lay observation to both patients and providers of care should not be underestimated. I hope that the Government will think again about the current direction of policy regarding patient and public involvement in the health and social services”.
This latest report follows on from the Alzheimer UK, National Audit Office and Age Concern mental health inquiry reports in a space of six months - but so far the only response has been to cut services for older people's mental health, cut services for older people in the community, totally ignore the enormous problem of older people's mental health in acute hospitals and care homes - and deny people with Alzheimer's disease access to treatment.
Sharon Grant continued: "Until the government declares older people's mental health to be a national priority with a clear direction for commissioners to address it, then nothing will change. Without that change services will, very soon, drown in this deepening sea of sickness and neglect. This is about more than just dignity and respect."
For more information about CPPIH and PPI Forums, go to the website linked below.