I went to the Isle of Wight Adult Safeguarding Board conference this week. Going to speak, meet, or be part of an event, as ‘LB’s mum’ or part of #JusticeforLB tends to be fascinating, depressing or a waste of bloody time. We’ve sort of learned, in the Justice Shed, that these things are typically about pomp and performance (and box ticking). Not substance. The Isle of Wight invite seemed different, the ‘invitee’ clearly seemed to get it and I went.
Graham Enderby kicked off the day. Talking about Harry and ‘the Bournewood Case‘. A remarkable story of (family generated) tenacity, guts and integrity. And wrongness. Leading to ground breaking changes. His story featured an early appearance by one of our favourite barristers. Human rights in action. Simple as. Graham socked it to the audience of 200 or so, health, social care and police bods, housed for the day in an enormous boathouse on the Cowes waterfront. Without artifice, excuse or fudging. The following speakers similarly demonstrated integrity by the bucketful. It was uncomfortable at times. Informative. And reassuring that professionals got it and were prepared to step up and say what needed to be said.
My bit was towards the end. Before showing The Tale of Laughing Boy I carelessly asked how many people had heard about LB or #JusticeforLB. I felt almost apologetic playing the film to such an audience a spit from the home of Sloven. They must have had a constant diet of LB, #JusticeforLB and the Mazars review for months now…
Less than half (easily) of the room put their hands up. One of those cartoon screechy brake moments. Really?
Re-watching the film, made this time last year, was a further bash in the chops. The naivety around the ‘reaching for the stars’ stuff. Back in the day. Pre inquest. Pre Mazars publication. Pre every other atrocity that has happened or continues to happen. In full view.
The lack of response to the Mazars review is scandalous. Jezza Hunt and his merry band of human factor/HSIB peeps are, at best, naive to believe, not care, (or just argue) that creating ‘safe spaces’ and a no blame culture within the NHS will lead to a reduction in the premature deaths of learning disabled people. This is simply absurd. And closes down any scrutiny of the systematic erasure of the lives of people who are clearly perceived to be expendable and burdensome within the NHS (and social care).
I was surprised by how people responded to the film/talk… Genuine distress, discomfort and talking about what action to take. I shouldn’t have been surprised. That low bar kicking in again. This is exactly how people should respond to hearing what happened to LB and the unfolding of events since. Something Jezza, NHS England, Monitor and the CQC have systematically tried to stifle.
I caught the ferry back with Graham. We shared stories, horror, outrage, atrocities and chuckles.
I wish there was similar openness, recognition and engagement from Jezza, CQC, Monitor and NHS England to what is now a clearly documented, evidenced and consistent happening. But what’s a few (hundred/thousand) learning disabled lives between mates?
mydaftlife 
I know a public school boy
He told me that people like me were referred to as flotsum and jetsum
We are the other bits in society not in their much elevated position
My husband was a boy at a grammar school in Caterham
He was constantly told he was the top 5 per cent of the country
I went to an equivalent girls school in the north and we were treated like shit!
So they genuinely believe they are superior
So if we construct a society based on flotsum and jetsum being our cannon fodder and work till you drop people
Then we can make sure we have an out of society one for those who don’t even get termed f and J
The complete ‘also rans’ the no marks, the pond life! ( we all know who this really is!)
We have to create a new position for the bottom of the heap because they are worthless.
But you see they become valuable don’t they in our ever increasing consumerist society headed up by the elite bunch of sickening, self absorbed and self interested tyrants.
Because the also rans sad position it despised position makes them a good commodity to sell and exploit
A few examples of the work shy
Show the homeless it’s a good warning
Show the programmes that denigrate poor people
Show the feckless and lazy
Flotsum and Jetsum can be like that if they are not trained and contained properly. Best to get them to confirm others. It works better. The Nazis showed us how.
Easily done
And plenty more to come
Because the workforce will work till they drop
The human rights laws won’t cover anyone
The poor will get poorer
There will be plenty of old people to exploit
The disabled people will receive no support in the community because you get a better price in an institution or economy of scale in a nice,big, jolly setting.
There will be plenty of people to socially construct ‘as the other ‘ and evict from society. Just redefine vulnerable and poor again.
And then money can be made without any effort at all in big business non care
Simple
So what’s a few also rans dying matter?
They are replaceable by the ageing and work weary flotsum and jetsum and the also ran young people who they treat with despicable disdain.
Wish I’d known about this – I know Cowes Yacht Haven well and a day across the water from the New Forest would have been good. Just to let you know the latest on Sloven – have just found evidence of one Dr ‘Mystic Meg’ Stevens using psychic powers in diagnosing a person, who she had never met and never spoken to as “very vulnerable” – and all in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a meeting with senior NHS England and Department of Health officials. For more details and more new examples of despicable conduct, see https://999crash.wordpress.com/blog/ – comments there would be welcome.
Sara – I will (hopefully this weekend) send you and Richard West updates than cannot (for legal reasons) be published.
I think we have all hoped that the next conference will move the audience sufficiently for them to go back insisting that things have to improve. They probably do think this as far as the railway station. Then the train is late….supper to be made…amnesia sets in.
There ARE very nasty people who believe that anyone that is not them, is less than them. The skits with upper class tit looking down on little man illustrate this cuttingly. Under class non person living in brown paper bag on a motorway. (Or in an ATU ?)
Our current Chancellor has this unfortunate demeanor, perhaps unconscious, of looking like the tit looking down etc… Someone could tell him.
Our public services have the best Unions in the world. No one working in the public services can be sacked for refusing to disrespect or put another person in danger. Why do people who attend conferences and are so moved by the moment, not return to base and refuse to cut any more corners. Their unions would support them. They don’t because ‘they are just doing their job’. They ignore that their contribution (blind eye at best) to the slippery slope causes the next conference.
Why are the young doctors who are striking against their new contract not saying at same time ‘we see undervaluing of the most vulnerable in society and we will strike unless people at the top of our organisations are brought to account for this’.
I spoke to the woman who has the allotment next to me the other day. She is a senior manager in NHS. She is nearing retirement. She agreed with all I raised with her. (Not happy but went along with ….conversation) Then said she is glad to now only administrate. I asked her what would happen if she refused to do the paper work for poor care. Feathers now well ruffled.
Who is responsible? Mr and Mrs Public Servant, all of you. From the tits with Power but without conscience at the top, to all the rest with eyes and ears and empathy switched off.
‘It’ happens because you let it. You collude.
Take this with you to the next conference.
I changed some of the words to this poem by Martin Niemoller, but you get my drift.
They came for the autistic
And I did not speak out
I was not austistic
They came for the learning disabled
And I did not speak out
I was not learning disabled
They came for the mentally ill
And I did not speak out
I was not mentally ill
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
A sad, poignant change to the words. That hit the truth as much as the original.
I was there, I’m a parent carer and an advocate. I also train, and every training course I provide we talk about justice for LB, and the shocking death rates, and health inequalities for people with Autism and learning disabilities. I try to encourage changes in hearts and minds, positive inclusive support, promoting health checks and thinking about what we can do collectively and individually to build a better future for all. It was so good to hear your story personally from you. Thank you for being there.
Sara your blog is read in high places ?
Some one who ‘could tell him’ just told him !
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