‘Hundreds of sex assaults’ taking place in care homes
Scathing report highlights 900 cases
NEARLY 900 claims of sex assaults and other sexual incidents in the social care system were reported in just three months, says a shocking report.
Three quarters of the alleged incidents took place in nursing or residential care homes and the victims were most often women over 75.
The Care Quality Commission, which compiled the report, said the impact of attacks on vulnerable people and their families was ‘utterly devastating’.
The report lists 899 allegations of assaults or other sexual incidents in England’s social care system – including 47 alleged rapes – between March and May in 2018. Around 12 per cent took place in vulnerable people’s own homes and the rest in more than one location or in ‘supported living’ services.
In one case a female care worker, since jailed, filmed herself sexually assaulting residents, including a female OAP with Alzheimer’s disease.
However, the report said: ‘Sexual incidents were nearly four times more likely to be carried out by men than women. And women were over three times more likely to be affected by sexual incidents than men.’
The allegations cover incidents between residents as well as those involving care workers. Almost half were classed as alleged sex assaults, 11 per cent as exposure or nudity and 5 per cent as ‘consensual’ sex, which were reported if one of the participants was judged incapable of providing consent. Around 45 per cent of alleged victims were females of 75 and over.
Officials last night stressed that with 1million social care users in England, the number of incidents amounted to a tiny proportion. But Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: ‘Being kept safe from the risk of abuse of all kinds is the least that any older person and their family should expect when they are receiving care.
She called the report ‘a wakeup call to every care provider to do everything possible to protect them from being sexually abused’, adding: ‘It is deeply distressing that most of the sexual abuse reported happened in a residential or nursing home to women over 75.
‘In some cases care providers are failing to keep some of our most frail and vulnerable older people safe.’ Veronica Gray of
Action on Elder Abuse added: ‘ The first priority of adult social services must be the safety and wellbeing of those in their care.’
Kate Terroni, chief inspector of adult social care at the Care Quality Commission, said people will sometimes have sexual relationships in care, and that must always be considered.
‘ However, our report also shows all too starkly the other side of this – the times when people are harmed in the very place they should be kept safe.
‘This is utterly devastating, both for the people directly affected and their loved ones.
The impact and consequences can be life-changing.’ The report calls on social care providers to encourage people to talk about their sexuality and raise concerns about safety.
Kathryn Smith of the Alzheimer’s Society said the right to consensual sex should not be infringed, even if someone’s disease was at an advanced stage.
‘Consensual relationships can bring great joy, and many people with dementia are still in intimate relationships or marriages they may have had for decades,’ she added. ‘They have an equal right to those relationships like everyone else.’