CARE watchdog bosses have been asked by MPs why a report that highlighted concerns about abuse at Whorlton Hall four years ago was never published.
The hospital, which cared for people with special needs and autism, was closed last month amid allegations of abuse exposed by a BBC Panorama investigation.
Care Quality Commission bosses were called before Parliament’s human rights committee last Wednesday after it emerged inspector Barry Stanley-Wilkinson had lodged a complaint that his report in 2015, which rated the hospital as requiring improvement, had never been published.
A report nine months later rated the facility as good.
Quoting the inspector, committee chairwoman MP Harriet Harman said: “I am raising these issues because I believe something serious could happen which will put the CQC under the spotlight.
“I also believe core values of our organisation are not being followed.” She added: “It looks like there was a diligent inspection in 2015. It looks like they discovered what we saw to our horror on Panorama on our televisions.
“The CQC didn’t publish the report in 2015 – it was suppressed. There was a row about it and a strong complaint from the lead inspector.
“A new team was sent in – a smaller and less experienced inspection team – and they provided a report that was a whitewash.
“They sent a report that said it was good and we know it wasn’t good. I am afraid we have seen what those staff were doing and that young woman screaming on the television.”
She added that Mr Stanley-Wilkinson’s report had highlighted patients’ complaints of bullying and inappropriate behaviour be staff. The report also said patients did not know how to protect themselves.
Ms Harman said: “To be rated good, that enabled them to get on with abusing, and taunting, and cruelty to vulnerable people, while your authority had stamped it as good.”
Dr Paul Lelliott, CQC deputy chief inspector of hospitals, responded that the summary and findings of the 2015 report had not included the allegations of bullying and patients spoken to by the investigation team said interactions with staff were positive.
He added that the 2015 inspection team included a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist and a nurse.
Dr Lelliot said: “If any of those people suspected abuse was happening, the professional code of practice would have caused them to raise concerns immediately, either with us or with police. Neither of those happened.
“The report has conflicting statements from patients about the care. Patients said staff treated them with dignity and care.
“There are definite contradictions in the report – which is the sort of reason why the quality panel that reviewed the report had some concerns about the coherence of the narrative – and that is why it was not published.”
CQC chief executive Ian Trenholm added: “In the event had he [Mr Stanley-Wilkinson] felt there was any significant abuse going on, he would recommend an inadequate rating. He would have reacted immediately and called the police and it would have been closed down.”
