Response to home carer abuse allegations

A BBC Freedom of Information request into every council in the United Kingdom with responsibility for social care has obtained data that shows home carers, contracted by local authorities, were subject to 23,000 allegations of abuse over the last three years. According to the BBC’s findings, 12,000 of the allegations involved neglect and only 15 care workers were prosecuted during the three-year period. When you look closer at the files, only 700 of the thousands of cases involved the police.

The BBC undertook a further analysis of the reasons behind the alleged abuse, they found:

• Over 2,400 reports of psychological abuse;
• 3,400 physical abuse claims; and
• 400 allegations of sexual abuse.

The Local Government Ombudsman saw complaints about home care rise by 25% last year.