Norman Lamb promises "real improvements" in wake of Winterbourne View scandal

The abuse that occurred at Winterbourne View care home, in Bristol, remains a source of keen media debate since eleven of the home’s care workers were sentenced on Friday – a verdict that included six jail sentences.

Today, the Coalition’s Liberal Democrat Care Services Minister, Norman Lamb, has issued a statement outlining the Government’s on-going commitment to ensuring adults with learning disabilities are better safeguarded in future.

The statement reads as follows:

“The abuse of patients at Winterbourne View hospital was horrifying. I hope that these sentences will send a clear message that such criminal behaviour will not be tolerated and that there will be real consequences for the perpetrators.

“We are continuing to work closely with key stakeholders, including service users and carers, to ensure real improvements in the quality of care, and that people with learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges receive the care they need, and should be supported to live in the community wherever possible.

“We will publish the final report of the Winterbourne View review shortly. Alongside that, we will publish an agreement setting out the responsibilities of government, commissioners, providers, professional bodies and regulators and the timetabled actions that each body commits to deliver.

“We will continue to work with voluntary organisations, people with learning disabilities and their families so that they can hold health and social care bodies to account in making sure we deliver real change.”

Reaction to last week’s sentencing also saw Mr Lamb’s predecessor, Paul Burstow, call for a ‘corporate wilful neglect’ law to be implemented, in order to hold businesses to account where they have failed in their care duties, alongside those who they employ.

BBC Panorama, whose undercover documentary brought the abuse at Winterbourne View care home into the public eye, are screening another programme this evening that raises further concerns as to the well-being of some of the home’s former residents since they have moved to other services.

For more on last week’s sentencing: www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1558252/eleven-former-winterbourne-view-care-workers-are-sentenced

Image courtesy of Liberal Democrat photostream