“Winterbourne View: Transforming Care One Year On”

Monday 16th December 2013 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb)]

On 10 December 2012, I made an oral statement and placed in the Library “Transforming Care: A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital”, Official Report, column 49. This followed our review of the events and appalling abuse of patients at Winterbourne View, a private hospital for the assessment and treatment of people with learning disabilities. Transforming care was accompanied by a concordat setting out an extensive list of commitments for a range of actions spanning across the health and care system and beyond. These involved a series of partners, including NHS England, the Local Government Association, the Care Quality Commission and many others.

One of the commitments in the concordat was that we would publish a progress report one year on and this was published on 13 December 2013. The report shows that the Department and its many partners, working closely with stakeholders, including most importantly self-advocates, family carers and the third sector, have made good progress carrying forward many of the concordat commitments and actions. There are many products from this work, including:

the new learning disability census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre;

a stocktake of progress by the joint improvement programme published down to local level;

an enhanced quality assurance programme to support delivery against the June 2014 milestone for people to be cared for in the right setting for them as individuals;

a new approach by the Care Quality Commission to the inspection of health and learning disabilities services from next year, to be led by Professor Sir Mike Richards;

new fundamental standards which will deliver corporate accountability, to be set out in regulations; and

steps to secure adult safeguarding boards through the Care Bill.

The full report includes an appendix detailing progress against all the commitments.

We know, that in spite of the progress over the last 12 months there is a great deal still to be done.

Of the 48 former Winterbourne View residents themselves, one has sadly since died so NHS England is tracking progress for the remaining 47. Thirteen of these people are still in an NHS inpatient setting and 12 of those are out of area. This remains unacceptable.

The new learning disability census data show 3,250 people meeting the criteria for inclusion, while earlier in the year NHS England and the clinical commissioning groups identified 2,677 individuals whose care plans have all now been reviewed. These new data will allow health and care commissioners to track back and resolve anomalies, which are likely to have been caused by definitional issues of terms such as “challenging behaviour”, and commissioning complexities. This information will ensure that all those who meet the inclusion criteria also receive the right attention, including care reviews, to help them move into the type and place of care which is right for them by June 2014.

The progress report “Winterbourne View: Transforming Care One Year On” has been placed in the Library. Copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office.