Leading care home provider to consult on installing CCTV in its care homes

HC-One, the third largest care home provider in Britain, is to carry out a consultation on installing visible CCTV cameras in all of its care homes.

The care provider announced this radical decision, just days before an exposé of abuse at a HC-One care home was due to be broadcast by the BBC Panorama programme.

The abuse was secretly filmed by a relative in a resident’s room in Oban House, in Croydon, south London.

The footage, which dates from December 2012, was shown on Wednesday 30 April, as part of a BBC Panorama documentary looking at elderly care standards.

HC-One’s chairman, Dr Chai Patel, said: “The secret filming that took place in 2012 showed shocking and distressing failings. We do not tolerate this kind of behaviour and we remain deeply sorry to the resident and their family.

“As soon as we became aware of the situation we took immediate action. Over the last two years we have had conversations with our stakeholders and our regulator about the potential use of cameras in homes to protect the health and wellbeing of our residents. This is, and always will be, our number one priority.”

He added: “As an organisation, and as a sector, we need to move forward and tackle this problem once and for all. Unannounced inspections by the CQC, local authorities, and our own service quality teams are important, but alone they do not always uncover the actions of a small number of individuals.”

In the consultation, HC-One will be consulting with residents, relatives and staff on the installation of cameras in communal areas and offering residents and relatives an opt-in scheme where they could request to have cameras in their rooms.

HC-One will be first care provider to install CCTV cameras

If it does go ahead with it, HC-One will be the first care home provider to implement this kind of scheme.

It is hoped that such a scheme will help root out instances of poor quality care, neglect and abuse, and act as a deterrent against deliberate bad practice and cruelty, whilst protecting the privacy and dignity of residents who would prefer not to be filmed.

Last year, the Care Quality Commission, revealed it is planning to hold a consultation this year, looking at whether it would be good to have surveillance cameras in care homes, to help root out abuse.

“We know that ‘mystery shoppers’ and hidden cameras can help “in uncovering “care that has not been good”, said Andrea Sutcliffe, the first chief inspector for adult social care.

But at the moment, it is just about “having a conversation about the risks and benefits” as “we have to consider the privacy and dignity of the person receiving care”. She promised to “look at what carers think, what the person receiving the care thinks and what the providers think” and acknowledged that hidden cameras have been very useful on certain BBC programmes in “exposing poor care”.

Chai Patel wants open and honest debate on issue

Dr Patel believes placing cameras in care homes “can only help protect the wellbeing and dignity of those we support”. He said: “We hope that, as a society, we can start an open and honest debate on this most vital issue.”

Martin Lothian, HC-One’s head of Risk Management, added that immediate action was taken, once the abuse was discovered.

He said: “Despite investing in staff training, an independent whistleblowing phone line, and independent Service Quality Inspectors, we feel that traditional methods of assessing care must be strengthened.

“This is something we have been considering since we first saw the footage in 2012. The use of cameras in care home has always been a difficult issue. With the programme airing this week, we feel now is the right time to open the debate in public, and most importantly allow residents and relatives to have their say.”

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, is backing the decision by HC-One to consult on the installation of cameras within their care services.

He said: “We must always be mindful of the need to protect our citizens from abuse and at the same time, respect their privacy and dignity.

“I hope the HC-One consultation will spark a wider debate on the issue of how we protect and support our older and vulnerable citizens whilst maintaining their right to privacy and dignity.”

However, Janet Morrison, chief executive of Independent Age, voiced her concern over the move to install CCTV cameras in HC-One care homes.

She said: “In any setting, the privacy and dignity of care home residents must be protected. In the rare cases where there is a genuine cause for concern about the care of a resident we could see the potential for using CCTV.

“However cameras must not be used as a matter of routine and we would not want their use to become the norm. They should never become a substitute for good management and proper staff supervision.”

HC-One which runs over 200 care homes, was formed in 2011, when it took over a third of Southern Cross’s homes after the company collapsed under £50m of debt.

To have your say on whether care homes should have CCTV cameras, go to our debate at www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/2/should-there-be-ctv-in-care-homes