Whilst the scandal at Cawston Park Hospital has slipped from the headlines I am not letting this issue go. Alongside the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB), I am really pleased that some progress is being made to reduce the chances of another tragedy such as Cawston Park:
1. Following lobbying the Care Quality Commission has made a commitment not to register new private secure hospitals providing Assessment and Treatment for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. Winterbourne View and Cawston Park were both this kind of organisation.
2. NHS England have committed to review all patients currently in such services. Currently, there are over 2,000 nationwide.
3. At our meeting with them the Law Commission expressed an interest in considering the removal of “private prosecution” powers from the Care Quality Commission and returning them to the Crown Prosecution Service. This could help increase the number of active prosecutions. The Law Commission is also considering a programme of work to improve the law in relation to corporate criminal liability.
4. The DHSC is currently looking at funding flows within the NHS including how these types of service can justify the very high levels of investment of public funds with poor outcomes
5. At my request, the Police are continuing to review the evidence that they have accumulated to determine whether a prosecution can still take place related to the care given at Cawston Park.
6. Last week I wrote to the Chair of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neil MP, to determine how individuals indirectly involved in mistreatment and recklessly poor care, who are not prosecuted for breaches less than gross negligence corporate manslaughter, can be brought to justice.
Either the law is not sufficiently strong to allow for prosecutions, or it is not being enforced properly by the Police and/or the CQC. As you can see from the list above, I am challenging on both these areas, and will continue to do so until we have the ability to challenge a culture of corporate neglect.
