Ann King's Law help protect the vulnerable from abuse
The Issue
My name is Clare Miller. my desire to bring in laws that protect vulnerable care home residents after my mum was subjected to some horrific abuse. You may have seen her story in The Guardian and on ITV News.
I have worked in the care sector for over 28 years and until our mum went into a care home, I firmly believed that the care system and the protection of our vulnerable worked - but I could not have been more wrong.
Both CQC and Safeguarding failed in protecting our mum. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE.
Changes need to be made to ensure they do their jobs
Our mum's name was Ann King. You may be aware of her care from the numerous press reports. She was in a luxury care home Signature Reigate Grange in Surrey.
Here are some links
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/13/ann-king-video-abuse-reigate-grange-care-home-surrey
Despite all the evidence we gathered of her terrible abuse, investigations by the CQC and local Safeguarding somehow found there was no negligence.
Subsequent investigations by the police did not result in any criminal charges, despite the secret filming which caught numerous cases of abuse.
What our mum went through and my passion for helping people has brought me to want to fight for change. Our mum died last year still with fears and suffering the effects of what she went through. My brother and I will suffer for the rest of our lives.
If things could be changed in care to help prevent and improve the care in this country it would at the very least make something good come out of all she suffered.
There are many things that require improving but here are three changes which could be made quickly and easily.
1) CCTV in care homes overseen by independent third parties. This change is widely backed by many in the sector, and families
2) A register for carers, which they can be struck off from. Unlike within the health profession, this does not already exist within care. It would allow carers to be held accountable for their actions and struck off if found negligent. This would also require improvement in the training requirements as at present care staff do very little and mainly computer short courses with no attendance.
3) Prosecutors and police need guidance on how to deal with abuse of the vulnerable. We were told mum's abuse did not meet CPS threshold for abuse, despite clear footage showing horrific abuse. Even if a victim cannot speak for themselves, it should not stop a prosecution. As more and more people live longer and diseases like dementia become more the laws need to change to reflect this.
Any help in achieving our goal of making real change would be greatly appreciated.
We all have loved ones
8,838
The Issue
My name is Clare Miller. my desire to bring in laws that protect vulnerable care home residents after my mum was subjected to some horrific abuse. You may have seen her story in The Guardian and on ITV News.
I have worked in the care sector for over 28 years and until our mum went into a care home, I firmly believed that the care system and the protection of our vulnerable worked - but I could not have been more wrong.
Both CQC and Safeguarding failed in protecting our mum. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE.
Changes need to be made to ensure they do their jobs
Our mum's name was Ann King. You may be aware of her care from the numerous press reports. She was in a luxury care home Signature Reigate Grange in Surrey.
Here are some links
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/13/ann-king-video-abuse-reigate-grange-care-home-surrey
Despite all the evidence we gathered of her terrible abuse, investigations by the CQC and local Safeguarding somehow found there was no negligence.
Subsequent investigations by the police did not result in any criminal charges, despite the secret filming which caught numerous cases of abuse.
What our mum went through and my passion for helping people has brought me to want to fight for change. Our mum died last year still with fears and suffering the effects of what she went through. My brother and I will suffer for the rest of our lives.
If things could be changed in care to help prevent and improve the care in this country it would at the very least make something good come out of all she suffered.
There are many things that require improving but here are three changes which could be made quickly and easily.
1) CCTV in care homes overseen by independent third parties. This change is widely backed by many in the sector, and families
2) A register for carers, which they can be struck off from. Unlike within the health profession, this does not already exist within care. It would allow carers to be held accountable for their actions and struck off if found negligent. This would also require improvement in the training requirements as at present care staff do very little and mainly computer short courses with no attendance.
3) Prosecutors and police need guidance on how to deal with abuse of the vulnerable. We were told mum's abuse did not meet CPS threshold for abuse, despite clear footage showing horrific abuse. Even if a victim cannot speak for themselves, it should not stop a prosecution. As more and more people live longer and diseases like dementia become more the laws need to change to reflect this.
Any help in achieving our goal of making real change would be greatly appreciated.
We all have loved ones
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Petition created on 6 October 2023