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Elderly care home abuse if frequently being highlighted by the media as a national issue which needs to be addressed. Families who place elderly, vulnerable relatives in a care facility fear for the treatment of their loved one and feel helpless that they cannot keep a better eye on them.
BBC’s Panorama has reported several stories this year which has given a shocking insight into Great Britain’s elderly care facilities and the abuse which can happen in some. A video was released showing an elderly woman being slapped, another who was partially disabled with dementia being left for hours whilst calling a nurse to help her to the toilet.
The latest scandal comes from the Old Deanery in Essex where allegations of “mistreatment and poor care” were raised. Panorama sent in undercover reporter, Alex Lee, who worked 36 shifts whilst secretly recording her time there. Her undercover films found many of the issues previously reported such as patients being ignored, mocked, taunted, slapped and being left in their own excrement.
The Care Quality Commission figures show that more than a third of care homes in England received warning notices since 2011 for not meeting basic standards, the BBC reported. Norman Lamb said “I think in specific cases where there are allegations of concerns about possible abuse or neglect then there could be a role for it [CCTV]”.
However, Mr Lamb said it won’t “create a good culture and compassionate care” but it is “one of the weapons that the Care Quality Commission should consider using and indeed they are considering.”
Sadly, here at SpyCameraCCTV we often speak to customers who are concerned for their elderly family members who are in a care home. One of our wall clock cameras was used in a 2013 Panorama feature on care home abuse when a concerned daughter put the hidden camera in her mothers room. She used the upsetting footage to start a campaign to raise awareness of what happens in some care homes.
