Hope of law to put CCTV in all care homes
THOUSANDS of care homes could be forced to install CCTV under a new drive to stamp out shocking cases of abuse and neglect.
A catalogue of failings has prompted leading MP Dominic Grieve to push for a new law that would make cameras compulsory in all public areas.
If he is successful, more than 400,000 vulnerable residents and their carers would be afforded a level of protection never before seen.
Such is the urgency to address the scandal of preventable neglect in places where the frail and vulnerable should feel safe, that it could be one of the first issues debated by MPs when Parliament returns in September.
Tory Mr Grieve said: “Seeing potential problems that exist in care environments, the arguments in favour are very strong. I think this is achievable and could become law.
“We have large numbers of vulnerable people in care homes and we want to provide them with proper standards of care. Incidents of them being abused are scandalous.
“They are also criminal offences, so we have a strong incentive for trying to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, which is fighting for Britain’s pensioners through our Respect For The Elderly crusade, Mr Grieve said he would apply for a debate in September and, if successful, will present his case for a new law making it a requirement for all care homes to install recording equipment.
He is backed by MPs from across the political divide, but opposition is likely to centre on money, particularly in areas where care costs are high.
He said: “We are not going achieve this overnight, but it is something we should continue pressing for.
“There is clearly growing anxiety about the risk of abuse, sometimes from other residents and sometimes staff, so all that seems to me to make it very valuable. It’s there to protect carers, it’s not just as a spy device.”
He added: “If a resident suffers an injury and you can show on CCTV how it happened, residents and relatives are going to be reassured.”
Mr Grieve, a former attorney general, was prompted to act after hearing from the pressure group Care Campaign for the Vulnerable.
There is no current requirement for providers to use monitoring in communal areas, but campaigners argue residents, many with dementia, their families, carers and the care home providers would all benefit from it.
People around the country have been left sickened by examples of abuse and neglect captured on covert cameras installed in relatives’ rooms.
Most neglect happens in communal areas, like corridors and lounges. Campaigners say CCTV in those areas would not need permission from residents and staff and could be installed.
The pressure group was set up five years ago by Jayne Connery, 50, after her dementia-stricken mother Ellen, 80, was attacked in the corridor of a care home. Her carer admitted hitting her but walked free. Police could not press charges due to a lack of CCTV.
Mrs Connery, who now looks after her mother at home in Gerrards Cross, Bucks, has been inundated with disturbing accounts from families of those let down by a care system stretched to breaking point.
She said: “When my mother was slapped in her care home I felt powerless. It’s horrific. I know from those who contact me that it is far more widespread than people think.
“Numerous cases of horrendous abuse could have been prevented if cameras had been fitted to cover public areas. We want the Government to listen to our concerns and act.”
There are 16,000 care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission and one in five is failing. Since 2013 at least 100,000 safeguarding referrals were investigated, but many were hampered by a lack of evidence.
Andrea Sutcliffe, its chief inspector of adult social care, said homes should ask residents and families about whether to install CCTV and “not rely upon the regulator to make a blanket decision for them”.
Minister for care Caroline Dinenage said: “It’s a sad state of affairs if we’re having to put cameras in care homes. We want to prevent abuse in the first place through our tough inspection regime and shutting down homes not up to scratch.”
THE Daily Express crusade Respect For The Elderly has been given a boost by the announcement that the former attorney general Dominic Grieve will push for a new law making it a requirement for all care homes to have CCTV guarding occupants.
“I am completely persuaded,” said Mr Grieve, who will apply for a debate on the matter in September.
This newspaper has fought tirelessly on behalf of older members of society who, sadly, are often victims of abuse and neglect by the very people who are meant to be looking after them.
We have all been shocked by clandestine footage of what really goes on in some care homes, especially when it affects those who are too frail, ill and fearful to do anything about it.
CCTV cameras in communal spaces such as corridors, dining rooms and entrances would help deter the cruel monsters attempting to get away with this abusive behaviour. And incriminating footage would give police evidence to press charges.
There is no time to lose in bringing in this proposed new law.