CQC publish phase 2 of review into regulation of Whorlton Hall

View: CQC publishes second part of independent review into its regulation of Whorlton Hall

The CQC second phase report

Today (15th December 2020) the CQC published the second phase of the independent review into regulation of Whorlton Hall, undertaken by clinical psychologist, Professor Glynis Murphy. 

This report includes a systematic review of the international research evidence in relation to the detection and prevention of abuse in services. The report also reflects on progress towards the recommendations made in the first phase of the independent review. 

The five key recommendations from this report are: 

1. Services should not be rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ if they have used frequent restraint, seclusion and segregation. 
2. Services should not be rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ if they cannot show how they support whistleblowing and reporting of concerns. 
3. Trialling of the Group Home Culture Scale tool, to evaluate whether it helps inspectors determine which settings have closed cultures. 
4. Trialling of the Quality of Life tool to gauge whether it helps CQC move from evaluating process, towards evaluating more relevant service user outcomes. 
5. Development of guidelines for when evidence of the quality of care should be gathered from overt or covert surveillance. 

In addition to the recommendations above, this report also builds on recommendations made in phase 1 of the review (published in March 2020) to ensure they continue to be implemented. 

CBF statement

The CBF supports Glynis Murphy’s recommendations, including that the new registration guide Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture is implemented. We share her serious concern regarding the proposed new 40 bed unit for people with learning disabilities to be run by Merseycare which does not seem to fit the guidance. 

It is well known that it is in large inpatient settings that there is a greater likelihood of the use of restraint, over-medication, seclusion and abuse. 

The CQC must accept all the recommendations in this review and ensure they are implemented effectively and in a timely manner to ensure children, young people and adults with learning disabilities receive the right care at the right time and in the right place. 

All parts of the system (education, health and social care) need to work efficiently and in a co-ordinated way to deliver high quality appropriate support for children and adults with learning disabilities and/ or autism. The Transforming Care programme was meant to make this happen- but progress has been too slow and patchy, and the abuse uncovered by the media at Whorlton Hall is a consequence of that. The CQC has an opportunity to play an important leadership role in driving forward change to ensure that individuals are not harmed by the services that are meant to be in place to support them. 

This report and its recommendations follow phase 1 of the review which was published in March 2020.

View: CQC publishes second part of independent review into its regulation of Whorlton Hall