Tonight's Channel 4 Dispatches programme claims its undercover investigation reveals ‘institutional abuse’ of residents at a Bupa care home in Chester .
However, Bupa have strongly denied this claim and say that, rather than institutional abuse, these were isolated incidents of wrongdoing by certain individuals.
Dispatches, which airs at 8pm on Monday (June 19), was filmed undercover in Crawfords Walk specialist dementia care home in Lightfoot Street, Hoole .
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspects such homes, has previously inspected the premises and threatened to take action, including possible prosecution, if certain matters are not put right.
Bupa has subsequently suspended individuals and made a number of improvements in the home. However, the healthcare group does not accept all the allegations made.
The investigation also alleges significant concerns over the safeguarding of residents, who were able to wander outside at night and had unsupervised access to medication.
Secret filming also reveals suggestions by staff that the home tried to deceive CQC inspectors over the level of staffing.
However, Bupa insists the home is not under-staffed and that no deception occurred.
Crawfords Walk specialist dementia care home was where the family of Joyce Green decided to place her when she developed dementia in her 70s, because they trusted Bupa as one of the country’s leading health providers.
But they tell Dispatches, she got repeated urinary tract infections, her lips were often cracked and sore – suggesting that she might not be getting enough to drink – and that they found her sitting in soiled clothes.
On one occasion they tell Dispatches they found her lying motionless in a cold room with the window open and feared she had died. They became so worried they complained to the CQC and hoped Bupa would act on their complaints.
Instead, they say they were treated as trouble-makers. Bupa said the relationship with the family had broken down, that Joyce was well cared for at Crawfords Walk and they supported Joyce and her family when she moved from the Hoole care home.
Bupa also claimed that the family made a number of unfounded allegations about the home and they fully investigated all of the family’s complaints and issues raised.
After specialist training in dementia care provided by Dispatches and a five-day induction training by Bupa, an undercover reporter began working at the home, which can cost more than £1,000 per week for residents, and which has been previously criticised by the CQC for failing to meet basic standards on safety, care and leadership.
Dispatches’ undercover filming claimed to reveal:
- Poor standard of care with regard to provision of incontinence pads, something Bupa admits 'falls short of the standards we set for ourselves and that our residents deserve'.
- Abuse of residents, including shouting at residents who were distressed.
- An elderly man who was left in left in urine soaked clothes for more than an hour – despite the reporter raising it with two members of staff - leaving him at risk of ammonia skin burns and infections.
- Fire doors which were easily opened and left unlocked on numerous occasions, resulting in elderly residents being able to wander outside in the middle of cold winter nights – putting them at significant risk of dying from hypothermia.
- The medicine cabinet being left unlocked and unsupervised.
- Daily routines which appeared designed to help staff more than the wellbeing of patients; for example, waking up patients and to have bed baths at 3.30am, or making them get up from 6am even if they were tired and wanted to sleep.
The investigation also claims to reveal Bupa staff telling the Dispatches reporter that management were trying to deceive CQC inspectors over the levels of staffing at the home, with one staff member saying that they must give the impression that they have plenty of staff: “We’re told from the management they’re not allowed to see we’re understaffed, to be short staffed.”
BUPA strongly denies that the home is under-staffed or that it sought to give a false impression of staffing levels and says it has evidence to prove these allegations are untrue.
Independent nurse consultant Lynne Phair tells Dispatches the secret filming exposes ‘absolutely classic textbook institutional abuse’ and ‘a significant breach of regulations’.
She said: “What I’ve seen has taken me back to the 1970s. It’s institutional abusive practice, task orientated care that is harmful. She adds: “There needs to be a full investigation by the company; it needs to be reported to CQC and, if appropriate, the nurse should be reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.”
Peter Holden, a senior member of the BMA tells the programme: “I am concerned that the basic dignities of a human being are not being met in this home.”
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the Care Quality Commission, tells Dispatches: “The findings that your undercover investigation has identified are consistent with the findings of our most recent inspections, and we have also said to them that if they don’t put those things right we will take further action, which may include prosecuting them.
“When we were on our inspection we were looking at the staffing, we were looking at the rotas, we were looking at the needs of people who were using that service and we were observing practice and we identified that we didn’t think that there were enough staff.
“The vast majority of services that Bupa run are rated as good and not all of the services will be as you have seen in Crawfords Walk. But they cannot pull the wool over our eyes and we will not let that happen. But there are things that we can do better and we are now consulting on how we register services so that we can more properly hold to account the corporate level of an organisation as opposed to just the individual locations. There is absolutely no excuse for poor care.”
In response to Dispatches’ investigation, Joan Elliott, managing director, Bupa Care Services, denied extra staff were brought in for the purpose of the CQC inspection.
She added: “We are shocked and saddened by these allegations. We are absolutely committed to providing all our residents with high quality care in a safe and supportive home.
“We are taking this very seriously and immediately launched a full investigation, working with the CQC, local council and the NHS to ensure that they are satisfied with the steps we are taking. We have reassured our residents and their relatives that a dedicated improvement team is working with the home.
“We are clear that these behaviours and practices are unacceptable and we have suspended individuals and made a number of improvements in the home. However, we do not accept a number of the allegations made. We know this does not reflect the care that our dedicated nurses and carers provide in our homes every day.”
Bupa told The Chronicle that Dispatches had refused to show them the footage.
