On July 6 around 60 people gathered at Manchester Met to celebrate the start of the one week Social Murder Festival. Self-advocates, family carers, academics, journalists, artists, third sector organisation representatives came together to discuss the social murder of people with learning disabilities. A day spent in solidarity, urgency, community and action.
George Julian has written a comprehensive summary of the week here with key takeaway points. A beautiful set of photographs were taken by Paul Clarke, and Lil, a filmmaker with TAPE is completing a smasher of a film about the Festival. Becky Whinnerah spent the day sketching.
Here I want to talk about that first day. I’ll write about the remaining days over the next week or so. It’s been much to absorb.
The week was funded by Man Met with additional funding from our Reigniting Debate project led by David Abbott. The Festival was arranged at short notice which meant that the help the organising team of George, Francesca Ribenfors and myself received was very much appreciated. It was an extraordinary experience to have the space, place and funding to be together, talk and make action plans.
It was also extraordinary only three invitees couldn’t come. We wondered if there would be some discomfort about the event name. Instead the term social murder was welcomed as empowering, strangely liberating even, and while it was hard to hear self advocates and family carers talk about the relevance of the term to them, it was good to have language that cuts through the bullshit in this area. People understand it. Angeli, a family carer who chaired the day with self-advocates Beth Richards and Nathaniel Lawford, said her 70 year old dad got it straightaway.
We know and nothing happens.
The term ‘Festival’ was initially questioned by one or two people online which was ironic given social murder was accepted. This discomfort seemed to ease as the week unfolded.
Day 1 was divided into three sections about what we know, don’t know or refuse to know about the preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities. Speakers included the ‘We Can’t Wait’ group, Manchester People First, Michael Brown, Francesca, George, Megan Linton, Saba Salman and Chris Hatton. Everyone smashed their 10 minutes and the discussion time was filled to bursting with powerful contributions. The Festival spill over space where Naomi Jacobs and Georgia Rivers were ready to make zines, crafts and more remained largely empty.
The day ended with a performance from the unapologetic and uncompromising Uncurbed Collective. After a day of so much (unexpected) energy, anger, laughter, discussion, rage and hope, we watched a mesmerising and harrowing performance that was almost too much to bear.
Though of course it wasn’t.
As people headed off to the station and home, we readied ourselves for Day 2.
Without wanting to give any spoilers away before writing about the rest of the week, we produced a strong set of action points to work on over the next few months. I don’t think we could be any more mindful that very little lands in this space with real impact (while acknowledging we now have a Prime Minister prioritising social care with promising words).
Onwards and upwards.
mydaftlife 
My Down son was admitted to hospital by emergency ambulance early in May this year. A few days before his 60th birthday. Every doctor he has seen since then has said ‘this should never have happened’.
With proper home support and timely capable access to health care. my son would not be in hospital. Four months on he is still in hospital.
I have resolutely used I can access to keep him in hospital. Where every day he becomes more and more disorientated and unhappy.
For the hospital discharge process is broken.
Three weeks in, there was an attempt to discharge him still very unwell, to wait for out patient appointments; discharge into the same neglectful circumstances that took him into hospital.
I have had to obtain an independent social work organisation to obtain an needs based assessment care plan. The LA social work team in the hospital had done nothing at all. Had I not stayed with him in hospital every day, he would have been completely alone.
My son lives in his own HA flat. I have learned over these many weeks is that when a LD person is admitted to hospital they are expected to be discharged back into the same circumstances that broke their health. Nothing happens until the doctors say the individual is medically fit to continue their recovery in ‘out’ patients.
The community social worker will not see the client until they come home. Original support package is cancelled while client is in hospital. After 17 weeks in hospital we are still looking at nothing at all care plan, and nothing at all home support from the LA.
I see his deteriorating spirit and his personality fading – his’ light’ going out every day. But he can’t come home.
We have a sound assessment for his safe home support and a care plan that will provide it, and I had to obtain it.
There is no LA assessment or care plan, nor any agency hired to support him back home from hospital.
We have a meeting soon with the LA social work.
Our sons and daughters die because of all shades of indifference and neglect – and because LA’s expect that they will go home from hospital – often still very poorly – into the neglectful circumstances that took them there.
The final act of this indifference will sees our sons and our daughters go back into hospital for the last time – to die.
Hi Sara
Well done to introduce the term Social Murder.
Julia here, we met on the Camino and last time in London
I made a terrible mistake not agreeing to be involved further on the invitation from the two interviewers from Manchester Met sometime before my brothers A2 inquest. The Trust had been devious covering the backs of the CEO and the senior managers at the time I didn’t know who to trust. A strong legal team and a very strong Coroner saw us through the A2 Inquest with a Jury to the Neglect verdict.
Then I was put through a barrage of attempts of corruption to the selected team by NHSE. In battle with NHSE following a neglect verdict by a Government official with a jury verdict of Neglect. NHSE brought in NHSE legal heavies in their final attack in the sixth attempt. They fought our legal team at inquest now they aimed at me on my own.
We needed a revolution of values. Social Murder a perfect description of what is happening. My brother had been poisoned for years on medicines. My mum had raised her serious concerns. I have all her documents.
How many others were victims and didn’t have an Inquest we may never know. I met two NHS prescribing experts on the journey. A senior hospital consultant who warned me NHSE will attack. Forewarned I was just about prepared. The attacks were ferocious. A small army of NHSE lawyers in that first investigation led by a monster who is recruited into NHSE investigation reports. I slayed her eventually. The NHSE investigation collapsed. No investigation. The present one used the same names. A reliable list used by NHSE. Grania Jenkins one name led the Sancus Solutions investigation. Total fraud. I had kept on spot records. I slayed her eventually. NHSE had brought in their lawyers to battle me. Advice sought from Alex Rook was go to the press all guns blazing. Still yet to do that. The case is a police investigation and with the police and the Court of Protection. The MAR charts were stolen from Ashmount/ St Ebbas. Until those MAR charts are found I haven’t taken the entire horror to the giants in the media yet. I trusted the senior editor at the health service journal with introducing the case.
Thanks to you starting this revolution Sara and others before us Government finally had to take action. Faced with NHSE obstructions, NHSE lawyers battled our strong legal teams. Proven NHSE lied for years.
Julia
Very Interested in actively joining the united battle to end the taking of life, these monstrous totally preventable deaths by complete Indifference.
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