Speaking at the annual Conservative party conference in Birmingham this week, Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to transform care for older people, and particularly those with dementia, but failed to mention working-age disabled people.

Hunt, a former shadow minister for disabled people, also spoke of facing up to “some hard truths about how we are going to pay for social care”, and said he wanted to implement the cap on social care costs recommended by the Dilnot review on adult social care funding “as soon as we are able”.

After his speech, a spokeswoman for Hunt said he “accepts the general thrust” of the Dilnot recommendations but wanted to “look in more detail at what is affordable and workable and the best way of doing that”.

Hunt was reported to have said at one fringe event this week that the costs of the Dilnot recommendations were too high and that it might take “years” to find the right solution to funding reform, but Hunt’s spokeswoman insisted that he wanted to find an answer “as soon as we possibly can” and that care reform was “clearly a priority for him”.

She said he also wanted to reach cross-party consensus, because there was “no point in doing something that could change at the next election”.

As well as capping the costs of long-term care for older people, the Dilnot report includes proposals to introduce free care and support for all those with “eligible needs” who become disabled before the age of 40.

Hunt’s spokeswoman said there was no change in the government’s position on this issue. The Department of Health has said it supports the idea of an age cap “in principle”, but the age at which this cap might be set had not yet been decided, and could be higher – at 45, for example – or lower.

The Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow, who was sacked last month as care services minister, has blamed the chancellor, George Osborne, and his civil servants in the Treasury, for the government’s failure to deliver funding reform.

Burstow’s successor as care services minister, Norman Lamb, said last month that funding reform was a “top priority” for Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, while Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, told a Labour conference fringe meeting last week that he was committed to cross-party discussions.

Hunt also said in his main conference speech this week that he had asked both Department of Health civil servants and the Care Quality Commission – the health and adult social care watchdog – how to hold managers accountable for poor care.

Among the concerning examples of poor care he pointed to was the mistreatment of people with learning difficulties at Winterbourne View, a private hospital near Bristol, where widespread abuse was exposed by the BBC’s Panorama programme.

Hunt said: “We have many committed managers in hospitals and care homes. But I need to say this to all managers: you will be held responsible for the care in your establishments.

“You wouldn’t expect to keep your job if you lost control of your finances. Well don’t expect to keep it if you lose control of your care.”

11 October 2012

News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com

Allegations of abuse at Winterbourne View, a “hospital” for adults with learning difficulties run by the company Castlebeck, were aired in a BBC Panorama documentary in May.

But this week it emerged that four employees have been suspended over alleged “misconduct” at another Castlebeck institution on the edge of Bristol, Rose Villa, a home for nine adults with learning difficulties situated less than 10 miles from Winterbourne View.

Two staff members at Rose Villa were suspended by Castlebeck following a review of care standards at the home on 1 July by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The visit was part of CQC’s review of all Castlebeck’s learning difficulties services in England, launched in the wake of the Panorama programme. Castlebeck has also commissioned its own review of all its care facilities across England and Scotland by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

Another member of Rose Villa staff had already been suspended by Castlebeck over an unrelated incident last month, while a fourth member of staff was suspended this week, again over a separate incident.

CQC, which has been heavily criticised for its failure to take action over concerns raised by a whistleblower at Winterbourne View, has stressed that the Rose Villa allegations were less serious than those raised by the Panorama documentary.

The last regular CQC inspection of Rose Villa, in 2010, led to the home being given a “good”, or “two star”, rating.

A Castlebeck spokeswoman said: “In accordance with our policy we have notified and are working with all relevant authorities as enquiries are being conducted.”

Asked whether the latest allegations suggested wider problems with care standards across the company, she said: “We are currently in the midst of two wide-ranging reviews from the CQC and PWC and we wouldn’t prejudge the findings of either of those at this stage.”

Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol said in a joint statement that they were treating the latest allegations “with the utmost seriousness”.

A spokesman said: “Although we do not currently have any Bristol residents in the nine-bed unit, as part of our role as the lead safeguarding organisations, we have visited Rose Villa and reviewed the care and wellbeing of the residents as soon as we were made aware of the allegations concerning Winterbourne View.

“We have continued to visit the home regularly during the intervening period and have provided additional independent support to the home.”

But the city council was unable to say when the safeguarding team was first alerted to the concerns at Rose Villa, what action it took, or whether it was aware of any previous concerns about standards at the home before July this year.

Avon and Somerset police said it was assisting investigations by its “multi-agency partners”, which include Bristol City Council and NHS Bristol, but that there was no suspicion so far of any criminal offences having been committed by any of the four suspended Castlebeck employees.

The force is still investigating the Winterbourne View allegations, although Castlebeck has now closed the hospital.

News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com