Home Abuse Case Study

This is my report on the abuse that occurred in winter Bourne view care home at Hambrooke, south Gloucestershire in England. It’s about the 11 defendants that admitted 38 charges of either neglect or ill treatment of five people with severe learning difficulties after being filmed secretly by a reporter for the BCCs panorama programme. It was operated by castle beck. The home opened in 2006 and by 2010 it had a turnover of £3.7m as the average weekly fee for a patient was £3.500.

In the panorama it showed one support care worker called Wayne Rogers saying to a resident “do you want me to get a cheese grater and grate your face off? Do you want me to turn you into a giant pepperoni?” this sort of discrimination against the resident is verbal abuse as although Wayne was not hurting her physically he was threatening her and hurting her mentally. This would affect the resident intellectually because they have learning difficulties and do not understand terms as easily, they may
generally believe that Wayne would actually turn them into a giant pepperoni or grate their face. It would also affect them emotionally as they would feel upset about the threats towards them and feel as so they could no longer argue back or defend themselves due to the fear of Wayne going through with his threats. It could also affect them socially as they would now be socially awkward around that one certain support worker called Wayne. Also the residents will become very unfriendly towards Wayne and maybe towards other support workers as they may assume all of them would do the same of Wayne. This followed on to Wayne asking another resident after slapping them across the face “"Do you want a scrap? Do you want a fight? Go on and I will bite your bloody face off." This leads to another residents feeling the same way due to Wayne’s actions towards them.
On another occasion three support workers dove, graham Doyle and holly draper restrained a female resident while another member of staff forced paracetemol into her mouth. This means the service user had a lack of choice if she wanted to take the tablet or not. This sort of abuse is infringement of rights meaning the residents rights are being ignored or abused. This could affect her physically because due to the three staff restraining her and the resident herself trying to fight out of the restrain it could cause her some serious bodily harm from bruises, pulled muscles, and aches and pains. It would also affect her intellectually because from after the event she could now be conditioned to think that taking tablets are a bad and scary thing as supposed to something that could potentially make her better. This abuse would affect her emotionally because she would feel as she was getting bullied and peer pressured into it by a gang surrounding and forcing her to do something she declined. It would also affect her socially because the more residents that get involved in abusing her, the less support workers she will trust and want to speak to so therefore she will feel lonely.
Also on another occasion a resident called Simone was forced into the shower fully clothed and showered over with cold water whilst she cried for help and begged the support workers to stop. This type of discrimination is abuse of power as the support workers know that they all obliged to shower the residents if and needs be. however they took the position of power and used it in an abusive way when unneeded. This type of discrimination would affect the residents physically as the cold water and being unable to escape would automatically send the body into a state of panic and shock. It would affect them intellectually as they would now gain a fear of further showering due to the awful experience they have had. Also it would affect them emotionally as they were all alone with no one to help or comfort them as they got bullied and had people stand other them and laugh whilst they were feeling low and scared. The resident will become effected socially because they will now want to shower alone as they could associate being with careers and cold showers being forced together.
Dove also threatened another resident when she broke a window in the lounge with a chair. It was recording dove saying “Listen, in future I'm going to let you sit on the fucking floor, 'cos you don't deserve a chair." This type of discrimination if marginalization as it is the process of someone pushed to the edge of a group and accorded less important and deserving of. This type of discrimination would affect the residents physically because they would feel as so they should not sit on a chair in the future and would end up with tired legs and aching body due to sitting elsewhere such as the hard floor. Also it would affect them intellectually because they would believe that they are less derserving of a chair as supposed to other residents and support workers. Also their emotional side would become affected as they would feel as so they are part of certain groups or clicks anymore. For example if their friends they like to sit around and chat to are sat on chairs they would feel as so they could not approach them as they are less deserving to be there then their friends. Just like the emotional side their social side would be effected to as they would begin to not socialise with particular groups that are sitting down.
On another occasion support workers were also filmed bullying residents a they hurt them in particular fighting moves and illegal restraints whilst claiming they were play fighting. This kind of discrimination is bullying as they use it as an excuse to hurt residents and make them believe its fun so they can make a joke of something that is not funny. Especially knowing that the residents are not capable of fighting back. This sort of discrimination would affect a residents physically as they will get hurt and could end up with minor or severe injuries. Also their intellectual side is effected as they believe its game and are convinced that it’s all fine and fun. Also connecting to physical their emotional side will be effected because when they acquire injuries and get hurt they become upset. They will become effected socially as they have no way of understanding feelings so they will not understanding that the pain the support workers are putting them in are not an accident.
Lastly Wayne showed discrimination towards Simone again when he put a chair over her body laying on the floor and sat on it to trap her beneath it.
This type of discrimination is overt discrimination, meaning that is not hidden and it is obvious and observable. This could affect Simone physically as she is unable to move her body and also the chair pinched her skin on her arm which would lead to a very bad and long lasting, painful bruise. She would become affected intellectually as she would now see a chair as an object that harms and punishes her. Also her emotional side will be affected as she is frequently punished and bullied by Wayne for no particular reason, also she is the only one in the room at the time being hurt and bullied which would upset her lots. Also she would be affected socially as she was unable to socialise effectively being trapped for such a long while in an uncomfortable position. Also when she did speak Wayne responded sarcastically and in a threatening
manner.