Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with care providers following the abuse of patients with learning disabilities at Whorlton Hall hospital filmed by the BBC's Panorama programme, aired on 22 May.

The Government has had no discussions on this matter with care providers directly. The Care Quality Commission, the independent inspectorate of hospitals and adult care homes, has commissioned an independent review of its inspection and regulatory approach to Whorlton Hall, which should inform work to ensure the appropriate oversight of care provided to people with a learning disability.

On 21 May 2019, I laid a written statement (HLWS1533) in which it was announced that the National Health Service would be strengthening its existing oversight arrangements. Where someone with a learning disability and/or autism is an inpatient out of area they will be visited every six weeks if they are a child and every eight weeks if they are an adult, on site. The host clinical commissioning group will also be given new responsibilities to oversee and monitor the quality of care for hospitals in their local areas.