Castlebeck comments on BBC Panorama May 31 2011
We are deeply distressed by the completely unacceptable and appalling behaviour of a small number of our employees at one of our facilities.
Such behaviour will not be tolerated, and we are very sorry.
Castlebeck had not seen the Panorama footage depicting the abuse of patients at Winterbourne View until the programme aired this evening. The company employs 2,100 people, providing care for 580 service users at 56 locations nationwide.
Although the company had not seen Panorama’s footage until this evening, Castlebeck’s executive team was alerted to its contents when the programme contacted us on May 12, 2011. In response, Castlebeck immediately notified the police, Care Quality Commission, the local Safeguarding team, commissioners of the service, other relevant authorities, and the families of the patients named in the allegations. Staff alleged to have behaved inappropriately were suspended and reported to the police, who are now investigating.
Castlebeck is in active consultation with the appropriate authorities with regard to the future of Winterbourne View, which cares for up to 24 patients.
In addition, a committee of Non-executive Directors at Castlebeck has commissioned the international consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to undertake a thorough independent review of the company, including its culture, medical protocols and communications systems.
PwC has included in its team eminent UK clinicians who will be an integral part of the review, including Dr Linda Patterson OBE, clinical vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, a consultant physician at East Lancashire Primary Care Trust and a Non-executive Director at the National Patient Safety Agency.
This independent review will be completed within 30 days and its findings and recommendations conveyed directly to the committee of Non-executive Directors.
The committee intends to share the report with the appropriate authorities and to implement the recommendations in full.
We were shocked when Panorama contacted us with these allegations on May 12, 2011, and shocked that this alleged behaviour had not been detected via the whistle-blowing policy that the company had in place.
The company would like to reiterate its distress at the allegations, and to acknowledge that they are therefore significantly more distressing for the families of those involved.
Lee Reed, Castlebeck’s Chief Executive Officer, added: “I was shocked, disgusted and ashamed by what I saw on Panorama tonight.
"Having spent my entire career in health and social care, I intend to leave no stone unturned to ensure that this type of horrific event is never allowed to happen again. I have been Chief Executive since January, and my priority is the patients under our care. My job now is to ensure that this company moves forward from this appalling episode to having among the best, if not the very best, standards in the provision of care for some of the most vulnerable people in society”.
Our company was founded in 1987 in order to offer specialist healthcare and rehabilitation to vulnerable people. We provide a safe and supportive environment for men and women with learning disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviour, as well as those on the autistic spectrum, and people with acquired brain injuries or mental health problems. An understanding of disability and challenging behaviour is at the heart of our person-centred services. We offer structured and meaningful programmes of therapeutic activity for our service users at 56 specialist facilities across the UK. We are proud of our 20-year record of helping people to live more independent lives and to reach their full potential.
The safety and welfare of our service users are paramount, and as part of our provision of care we have a whistleblowing policy. Each of our staff is made aware of this whistleblowing policy when he or she joins the company. The policy has been designed to ensure that any person who raises concerns about the physical or emotional safety of our service users, or about any lapse or potential shortcoming in the services provided at our facilities, can do so quickly, effectively and without fear of negative personal consequences. The policy provides that whistleblower complaints be heard in confidence.
It also requires that any whistleblower complaint involving serious allegations of misconduct or negligence be brought immediately to the attention of Castlebeck’s senior executive team.
Winterbourne View, in Hambrook, Bristol, is a purpose-designed acute service, offering assessment, intervention and support for people with learning disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviour. The hospital can also provide a service for those liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. It was last reviewed and approved by the Care Quality Commission, the health and social care regulator for England, two years ago. The facility has 24 bedrooms in total, and a total staff of around 50. It has two floors of 12 bedrooms each, and in operational terms is run essentially as two distinct units, with each floor having its own complement of dedicated staff.
On October 11, 2010, a Charge Nurse at Winterbourne View made a whistleblower complaint about the provision of care at the facility. Castlebeck’s policy in such cases is to make the local authority aware of the complaint immediately, under the local Adult Protection scheme. Our policy is also to hold an additional internal investigation into the whistleblower’s allegations; to suspend all staff alleged to have been negligent, pending the outcome of that investigation; and to inform Castlebeck’s Chief Executive Officer about the whistleblower complaint.
It would seem that the company's policy was not followed in the way that we would wish and that there were delays with this process. Neither the CEO nor any member of Castlebeck’s Board was made aware of the issue at any time before May 12, 2011. Two members of our managerial staff have been suspended pending further enquiries into their conduct.
On May 12, 2011, Castlebeck's executive team was made aware by the BBC of serious allegations in relation to treatment of service users on the upper floor of Winterbourne View. The allegations relate mainly to the period February-March 2011. As the matter is now in the hands of the police, we are not able to disclose any more specific details about the allegations at this time.
We are entirely focused on the safety and well-being of our patients. The Consultant Psychiatrist at Winterbourne View spoke with all patients alleged to have been directly involved and ascertained their well-being.
The company’s senior management team was in the process of reviewing a range of operational matters - including ways in which we could enhance our staff whistleblowing policy, and introduce greater external monitoring of our services. However, in view of the allegations we received on May 12, we have brought forward these measures as a matter of priority.
In addition to the PwC review, Castlebeck has taken a number of measures as a matter of urgency:
- We have commissioned an external advocacy group to undertake a review of the patient experience at all our hospitals
- We have set up an external whistleblowing phone line for our 2,100 employees
- An external consultant who reports to the Board and forms part of the newly-formed safeguarding committee has been appointed to oversee, audit and check all future complaints and Adult Safeguarding referrals throughout the group on a monthly basis
- We are also reviewing all patient care records at all of our 56 facilities over the past 12 months, to look for any evidence of other causes for concern
Castlebeck is shocked and distressed by the allegations. We are committed to ensuring the delivery of high quality services to service users, families and commissioners. Patient safety will always be Castlebeck’s priority and we shall continue to have a zero tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour directed against those who use our services.
Until the independent PwC review is completed and submitted, the company will make no further comment.
