The 2011 Panorama programme about the abuse of people with learning disabilities at a private hospital (Winterbourne View) reignited the debate about institutional care, and raised public awareness and concern about the treatment of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Many questions were raised, including:
- Is there a place for hospital beds for people labelled as 'challenging'?
- How can individualised services be delivered for people with complex support needs during difficult financial times?
- Is the regulatory framework 'fit for purpose' when it comes to the most vulnerable people in society?
- How should staff at all levels be trained, developed and supervised who work with people who have complex needs/challenging behaviour?
Pavilion's November 2011 conference -- Learning the Lessons from Winterbourne View - explored these and other questions where commissioners, providers, practitioners, people with learning disabilities themselves and their families, discussed how to apply the lessons learnt from this distressing example of abuse.