A while back, Simon Stevens, NHS England CEO, appointed/commissioned Stephen Bubb to chair a steering group looking into the provision of learning disability services/assessment and treatment units. I dunno if anyone understands why. Bubb’s final report was published earlier today. The report can be read here. I’ve not read it.

Andy McNicol did a cheeky bit of totting up earlier:

His word count doesn’t quite capture the stampede of activity. Back in the day. The ill informed, knee jerk, caught on the hoof, government response to Panorama scenes of abuse. Flattened by a bunch of organisations (48 in total) scrambling to get piece of the sudden, unusual and unexpected funding.

Some years ago now, Tom got a Harry Potter game for Christmas that involved wand waving and repeated half whispering/hissing ‘stupefy’. I’ve not read Harry P nor seen the films but we did a lot of ‘stupefy’ hiss/whispering that year.

Dunno why but this word kept dancing around my brain when I read the responses to Bubb’s offering. I googled and learned what every Harry Potter fan knows. It’s a ‘stunning charm that renders people unconscious and halts moving objects’. And the more wizards aiming at the same target, the more the power is increased.

Ah. This may have legs. What trickery is being woven by the usual suspects around the latest (non) report? All firing at the same target [no real change].

• That the abuse of learning disabled people only started with the Panorama expose. There is no pre-Winterbourne View.
•  That “now is an opportunity to restore faith, where so far there has been repeated failure, and build the community support people with a learning disability and their families want and have been promised.” (Mencrap/Challenging Behaviour Fundation) Those of us not under a stupefy spell (and with access to the internet) can remember how back in November 2014 they were bleating on about welcoming “much of what is included in Sir Stephen Bubb’s report, but it must now lead to a clear plan and urgent action.” Same words. Different order.
• National Autistic Society wizardry? The Bubb recommendations are “good and should be considered carefully by both the Government and NHS England”. Stupefy 
• And the government response… A half arsed refrain of ‘there may be trouble ahead’ coated with super stupefy moments;  ‘”it is believed that…” “transforming care for thousands…”
• Oh, and no mention of the Mazars review.

These made up responses to a made up report continue to erase history, erase life, erase hope and deny imagined futures. No one in any position to do so has the guts to call it for what it is. And the grotesque dance continues.

What a bunch of fucking losers.