Winterbourne View
An interim report into the scandal surrounding the Winterbourne View care home near Bristol will be published months earlier than expected, a government minister has said.
Health minister Paul Burstow said in a written ministerial statement yesterday that the interim report would be published “in recognition of the seriousness of the issue”.
Nine staff members have pleaded guilty to abuse charges, while two others will face trial at Bristol Crown Court On August 6.
A BBC Panorama documentary in June last year highlighted appalling abuse of vulnerable adults being cared for at the hospital near Bradley Stoke.
Reports dating back back to 2008 raised serious concerns of the quality of care at the £3,500 a year care hospital. The hospital’s approach to patient restraint and physical intervention, meanwhile, was particularly noted in a Mental Health Act Commission Annual Report from 2008.
A report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is due to publish a summary national report later in the summer.
The BBC documentary by an undercover reporter showed staff encouraging patients to commit suicide, punching them, forcing them to have cold showers and pinning them to the ground with chairs.
The investigation also found that a whistle-blower had previously reported abuse to both managers at the home and the CQC, the official watchdog. Both failed to act.
The hospital was closed and has since been bought by Glenside Manor Healthcare Services, who will reopen it as a neurological rehabilitation centre.
