Liverpool Care Pathway - Whither Quality Life Care?

What is needed is good responsive care, from life's beginning to life's end. What is needed is quality life care full stop.

Orchid View care home opened in September 2009. People have died. An inquest into 19 deaths has been held and recommendations made.

- Redhill and Reigate Life

The independence of the Serious Case Review set up to look into these deaths is in question. West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield has been asked to open a full Public Inquiry. Her response? She will keep it under review!

Ian Christian of Irwin Mitchell solicitors acting for the families who have lost their loved ones has confirmed that what is needed is not a review but an independent inquiry such is the scale of the abuse that has taken place.

Mr. Christian has said that Irwin Mitchell have

“raised concerns about the impartiality of the review when it is being led by a former director of social services which was one of the many organisations responsible for safeguarding Orchid View residents before it closed.We need confirmation that all authorities will be scrutinised at the same level.”

The review is being led by Nick Georgiou, a former director of social services. Mr Georgiou has said,

“I thoroughly understand the distress and concerns of the families who have lost loved ones in awful circumstances.”

Mr. Georgiou, have you lost family, loved ones? You know nothing!

Recommendations are not sufficient. Taking learnings is an insult to the memory of those who have died. People have to be held to account at all levels.

This is typical of how these matters proceed. An inquiry was ten years in the making at Gosport. There, the author of the abuse was also the author of the Barton Method, now incorporated into the GSF and called The Surprise Question.

This is the Crawley Observer –

The man conducting a review into a failed Copthorne care home has insisted his report will be thorough and fair.

A Serious Case Review (SCR) was commissioned by the West Sussex Adult Safeguarding Board on the last day of an inquest in the deaths of 19 Orchid View residents.

The review will cover the period from September 2009 – when the home opened – to now and will be chaired by former director of social services at Hampshire County Council Nick Georgiou.

But a lawyer representing the residents’ families has expressed concern the review would not be thorough enough.

According to Community Care, this abuse may be more widespread -

The serious case review (SCR) into a Southern Cross nursing home where a coroner identified “institutional abuse” may uncover concerns about other homes run by the former provider giant.

Care home staff don’t need training in End of Life Care; they need training in Life Care!

How about turning the billions being spent on EoLC over to promoting good old-fashioned LC?