First Person: Tony Hipgrave -The cared for now reliant on whistleblowers
For well over half a century, we have rightly taken pride in what our welfare state stands for. The moral position that through public funding we assume shared responsibility for the care of our most vulnerable citizens remains an admirable ideal, even if changing demographics make it harder to sustain.
Take social care, for instance. Local authorities – democratically elected and publicly accountable – have for decades provided services and personnel to identify and support those who are unable to manage their lives independently.
Not that long ago, the authority would have employed most the staff involved in the daily care given to people and also owned much of the bricks and mortar.
The relationship between the person being helped and their local authority was a relatively simple one.
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If we did not like what our local authority was doing for us or our loved ones, we usually knew where to go or what to do – including exercising our democratic rights in elections.
Now, all that has changed. The care of vulnerable people is increasingly outsourced to profit-making companies, with the social worker's role frequently reduced to that of intermediary.
The bricks and mortar might be owned by a housing association or private landlord, with varying effects on the degree of long-term security offered. A similar story is happening in the health sector.
New regulatory bodies have evolved, partly in response to the complicated chain of relationships involved in the care of a vulnerable person.
But can they really protect us from possible daily abuses, of the type highlighted by the Winterbourne View or mid-Staffs scandals?
Anyone who has complained to ombudsmen or regulators knows the internal complaints procedures of the organisation in question must first be exhausted. Proof is often difficult and the process often involves months of obstructive or defensive communication. Meanwhile, the abuse may be continuing.
As consumers of services for our disabled adult son, we have arrived at the worrying conclusion that his protection depends ultimately on private-sector staff with the courage to blow the whistle on their colleagues or managers.
At the same time, our experience is that, understandably, staff fear the loss of their much-needed jobs, or other forms of retaliation.
In the future we will all be increasingly dependent on the heroics of whistleblowers. But who, ultimately, is going to reward the whistleblower?
Tony Hipgrave is a former lecturer and consultant psychologist and a voluntary worker and parent of a disabled adult.
Comments
by agewait
Friday, February 15 2013, 4:13PM
“The blitzkrieg unleashed upon the National Health Service, and the Welfare State was launch last March by a Parliament riddled with over 206 MPs, 142 Lords, with financial interests in private health/Insurance connections. There are also 124 Peers who benefit from the financial services sector.
1 in 4 Conservative Peers have financial connections to companies involved in Private healthcare.1 in 6 Labour Peers have financial connections to companies involved in Private healthcare. 1 in 10 Lib-Dem Peers also have financial connections in Private healthcare.
4 Patrons of the pro-reform think tank 2020health have Peers with private health care. There are 4 key members of the private health group that have Peers with private healthcare links. 19 Lords and MPs have financial links to the Pharmaceutical Giant Glaxo-Smith-Kline.
John Nash was the Managing Director/Owner of Care Uk – a Private Health Care Company – he donated £122,000 to Health Secretary (at the time) Lansley and the Tory Party. Care UK obtained 96% of the National Health Service Contracts for H.M. Prisons, worth Millions. Nash, now Baron John Nash was selected by Gove for the House of Lords – Care UK was bought out by the American Private Health Giants – BridgePoint in May 2010 – Nash is now a consultant for them alongside the former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, Chris Patten (BBC), with rumoured links to Lord Ashcroft and the future possibility of Lansley becoming a Consultant after the next General Election 2015.
All of the parliamentarians, 206, the House of Lords, MPs, 79% Conservatives were able to vote on the National Health & Welfare Reform Bills – Surely this represents a massive conflict of interests? Is it any wonder that faith in Parliament, faith in Politicians, Faith in the political process has never been lower than it is today? The widening gap between those who stand to make colossal financial gains from a Bill they ensured would become an Act of Parliament. The authority of Parliament has substantially declined whilst trust in Ministers, MPs, Lords has simply evaporated. The political class is far to close to lobbyist, to Private Health to be healthy for the Nation. The Political class is clearly disengaged from the people, and its self-indulgency and private gain from private health/financial interests is a major concern for our democracy has we witness the dismantling of our NHS and our Welfare State to the detriment of the people. Once again All of those Parliamentarians with Private Health Interests were allowed to vote on the Bills which would see all of them make substantial financial gains despite having a prejudicial interest which would not have been allowed at the local council level. A very dark period in the life of our Nation.”