This week marks 15 years since the BBC Panorama programme exposed the abuse taking place at Winterbourne View.
For many people, it was a shocking moment that revealed the reality of life for some people with learning disabilities and autistic people living in institutional settings. It led to promises of reform, commitments to reduce reliance on hospitals and a renewed focus on human rights, dignity and community-based support.
Fifteen years on, there is still much work to do. Yet this anniversary is also an opportunity to recognise what becomes possible when people refuse to accept that institutional care is the only answer.
For us, this milestone is personal. One of the people we support today experienced first-hand the consequences of the institutional care model exposed at Winterbourne View. Prior to Winterbourne View, they had already been caught up in another nationally recognised scandal that exposed failures in the system. After spending much of their life in hospital settings, and through their lived experience of the consequences of systemic failure, the fact that this individual is here to mark this anniversary is remarkable in itself.
Their journey is a testament to extraordinary resilience and determination. Over the last 18 months, they have been living in their own home in the community. They have enjoyed a holiday at Butlin’s, taken a leading role in our first ever pantomime, attended our Annual Event, grabs the microphone whenever the opportunity arises, and can often be found dancing around their house. Most importantly, they have done so without a recall to hospital.
While these moments may sound unremarkable, they represent something profoundly important, the same rights, freedoms and opportunities that most of us take for granted. After years spent in hospital settings, this person is living their best life in their community.
(As a bit of context, the blog’s preview image shows some of the colleagues who support the individual featured in the story. We wanted to celebrate the people who have walked alongside them on their journey, while also protecting their privacy.)
"The impact has been profound: the person I support has never been restrained in the community or locked in segregation-like conditions" Social Care Worker
This outcome was achieved through partnership, careful planning and a commitment to building support around the person. It required housing, care and support providers, local authorities, NHS colleagues, families and advocates working together to create and sustain a healthier network of support around the individual.
Our approach has been influenced by autistic advocate Alexis Quinn and the work of the Restraint Reduction Network. Over the last few years, Alexis has worked closely with our teams through training, reflection and challenge, helping us think differently about restraint, language and the experiences of people who have spent years in restrictive environments.
Through this work, we have introduced the Restrictive Practice Cultural Audit and Restrictive Practice Risk Assessment Reviews, strengthened our understanding of psychological and cultural restraint, and worked to eliminate restrictive practices wherever possible.
Alongside this, we continue to invest in supporting colleagues to develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, reflection and co-creation within their teams and support networks. This commitment to Learning and Leading with Love has helped strengthen the relational approaches that sit at the heart of our work.
"It is not an overstatement to say that without Glassmoon, the service user we worked with would still be in hospital." Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist
Fifteen years on, this story reminds us that transformation is possible. There are models that work. There are different ways of thinking. There are alternatives to the same tired approaches that have failed too many people for too long.
But while we reflect on progress, more than 2,000 people with learning disabilities and autistic people are still living in inpatient settings across England. Many remain far from home, family and community, despite years of national promises to reduce unnecessary hospitalisation.
This anniversary is a moment to reflect and a renewed call to action for Government, health systems and wider society to invest in community support, housing and relational models of care and support that support people to live meaningful and fulfilling lives with the same rights, freedoms and opportunities as everyone else.