Struck by the almost radio silence by the big charities over the CQC restraint interim report, Whorlton Hall film and Leder report, I found out this week that Mencap [alleged voice of learning disability] currently have eight supported living services and residential care homes with a ‘requires improvement‘ rating by the CQC.
Eight. Bearing in mind how difficult it seems to get anything approaching a failing rating (Whorlton Hall and St Andrews both had ‘good’ inspection ratings until the shite hit the fan), the Mencrap cluster must be quite something. A quick tot up (by someone better at maths than me) suggests a minimum of 206 people are currently getting sub-standard care from the same bunch who forever call on the government ‘to improve’ things for learning disabled people. The grim irony is almost curling my finger nails back from my fingers.
While they keep on with their relentless self promotion and trying to raise money through terrifying already terrified parents and families, I thought I’d have a look at these eight inspection reports [County House (Swindon), Mencap East Cornwall Support Service, Mencap east Hampshire Domiciliary Care Agency, Plymouth Support Service, Royal Mencap Silverhill Bungalow, Tevershall Bungalow (both in Notts), Royal Mencap Woodlands Residential Home (Norfolk) and Treseder House (Cornwall)] to see what strands of the provision are failing so badly.
Christ. What a thoroughly depressing read…
All eight failed to be well led, 7 failed to keep people safe, 3 failed to be responsive and 2 failed to be effective. I mean how can the voice of learning disability with the groaning resources and endowments they continue to pretty much bludgeon out of families (unsolicited will writing seminar garbage continued to arrive for about 3 years after LB’s death) fail to provide well led and safe services?
A few other low lights:
- No (or absent) registered manager (3)
- Issues about staffing numbers/availability (4)
- Medication management issues (3)
- Hygiene and environmental issues (6)
- Problems with care plans/record keeping (5)
- Problems with quality monitoring (5)
The story told across these reports is chilling. In one service people are so scared of a neighbour they are too terrified to go out. While noises were being made to resolve this the inspector noted it has gone on unchecked for some time. Another place was so dirty a family member commented they wouldn’t let a dog live there. Across all eight the impact on people’s lives extended to little or no opportunities for going out to do stuff the rest of us can do. Tablets and TVs a substitute for activities including watching church services on a tablet. “Records showed one person’s care plan had been updated and reviewed the day before the (announced) inspection”. On questioning it became clear that the service hadn’t been providing the support described for a significant period. An ex-care home now badged as ‘supported living’ was still run as such with pooled budgets and daily menus. When it was decorated one person went home while the remaining inmates were decanted to two caravans for the duration. There were the usual issues around MCA misunderstandings, lack of training and people’s rights not protected.
Eight failing services with echoes of the shite care provided in the home Danny Tozer died in. Failings his parents repeatedly pointed out and even paid for a second provider to come in and train staff. This simply ain’t good enough. You should be trailblazing dazzling support, care and provision that enables people to lead flourishing lives, have fun and do stuff they want to do. With such a bunch of heavily bloated directors you should be kicking that ball right out of the park.
Instead, your focus is on reputation, raising dosh and muscling your way into any media opportunity. I’m out of words. Well other than get your own fucking house in order before you dare to make claims about changing the world for learning disabled people.
mydaftlife 
I asked to meet with Mencap here in Wales to tell them my brother’s story and what could be learnt from this. They are too busy to meet with me. My brother was a man with a severe learning disability who broke his neck in care (not in a Mencap home) and for whom we had a narrative conclusion at the inquest and they have no time to hear about his case. Who DO they care about?
Yes, they do terrify families, and their wills and trusts business could take 50% of parents’ savings, so half the money goes to Mencap – as I calculated 10 years ago – I threw the brochure away in horror.
And yes, they’ve had the same sort of staff behaviour as at Whorlton Hall. I’m so depressed I can’t even remember the name of the place where they had staff harming residents.
The hypocrisy is simply mind boggling, and the voice of learning disability they can’t claim to be, as that voice isn’t monopolised by any one person or organisation.
why not think about supporting self-advocacy groups instead?
All this while paying £100k for a Director of Quality.
Sack them and appoint someone with a learning disability.
brilliant, i am a follower and have shared with a fellow campaigner. there are many of us fighting to change this outrageously broken system. Thank you so much for sharing your views and the story of you beautiful son Connor. Lisa xx
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Well said Sara xxx
Lots of love from Lynne xxx thank you
What have you got to say about this Royal Mencap? Can you not explain why the things you are doing are the complete opposite of the wonderful things you put on your website?
My son goes to a local Mencap Saturday club every fortnight. The people who run it are wonderful. The respite for that Saturday for parents that are caring for their loved ones at home is invaluable. Having a Saturday to oneself is so good. They are such a lovely, lively, caring group of people that my son really enjoys going.
Saying this I know Sara is not knocking the local Mencap groups who usually on the whole a great help to people in their own community. Like Sara I am so disillusioned with the way Royal Mencap have distanced itself from its roots as a charity of parents campaigning to get their loved ones needs met. They have morphed into a ruthless business. I contacted Royal Mencap over ten years ago asking them to look into the rise of mental illness in the people with LD after the closure of their day centres. Their response was that the rise in mental illness could have been caused by anything. They did not want to know. Too busy building their own empire to worry about the wellbeing of the people they purport to be the voice for.
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My experience of Mencrap is one of bullying. Managers ‘care’ between 8:00 and 17:00. Managers create an us and them situation, I hated working for them with their arrogant attitude. Plebs are not allowed to talk back, I worked for an Essex establishment, I know that 3 mencrap homes were all as bad. Please be warned, keep away from Mencrap, I think they will be like Oxfam, they will soon fall.
Yes, blame the poor over worked, under paid, exhausted staff for Mencap failures. I agree that the organisation/management is utter shite having worked as a support worker in a supported living service in East Cornwall for four years. Left recently. I take issue that it’s the staff’s fault. Relatives who never visit, health professionals who are quite frankly evil and a system which is under funded and no one cares. But don’t you dare blame the staff. They are run off their feet trying to look after residential type people in a supported living environment, which is impossible. The whole are system is irreversibly and institutionally abusive to users.