Providers Condemn Abuse Cases

Care providers today condemned instances of abuse towards older and vulnerable adults.

The Independent Care Group said it had zero tolerance of any abuse, like the cases outlined in today’s BBC report.

The Independent Care Group’s Chair, Mike Padgham said: “Any case of abuse of any kind is unacceptable and the care group is 100% committed to ensuring it has no place in a modern care service.

“The public can be assured that the vast majority of care is provided with compassion and dignity by people who put the happiness and safety of their clients first.

“One of the reasons why the increases look significant is down to the increase in reporting by care providers, following clarification by the regulator, which is a good thing. We have to get this into the open so that it can be properly addressed and work undertaken to get those figures down.

“We all have a responsibility in this – providers, commissioners, inspectors and Government.

“At the same time, we cannot ignore the fact that overall social care is in crisis, with all agencies, including the Care Quality Commission, agreeing that the system is at best fragile and at worst in crisis.

“With £7bn cut from social care since 2010, it cannot come as a surprise that social care is cracking at the edges. This has inevitable impact on recruiting, retaining and training staff. Financial cutbacks are never an excuse for poor care, but to get the highest standards of care we all seek, we have to get social care reform under way and that means the Government publishing its Green Paper as a matter of urgency.”