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VIEWPOINT
e cu en en s e u nin us o

e inst utons o ea s a o

Are funding cuts recreatng insttutons in our communites?
Does outsourcing to large private companies and
proft-seeking lead directly to warehousing?
o in ackson sees trouble looming.

e a e wi nessin e o e aton o community inclusion are seeking. people’s health and wellbeing, and
W wo e nicious en s in e In additon to this process of enabling them to live free from harm):
ovision o ca e in e co uni o micro-insttutonalisaton there is a
eo le wi lea nin isa ilites. further worrying trend. Increasingly, a e o s an a s
wide range of services is being e o s an a s wi ino
The frst is the process of micro- outsourced to monolithic, proft-seeking conce ns
insttutonalisaton where to remain and democratcally unaccountable aile o ee one o o
cost-efectve care services are under organisatons possessing an abysmal s an a s
pressure to employ as few staf as record for the quality of the services they
possible and then to pay them as litle as provide (consider, for example, the recent Commentng on these fndings, the CQC
possible. There are obvious consequences poor performance in delivering public reported that many of the failings were a
for residents. Opportunites to partcipate services by such companies as ATOS, direct result of care not being centred on
in a range of recreatonal, social and Capita, G4S and Serco). We are witnessing the individual or tailored to their needs –
educatonal actvites in the community here the phenomenon of warehousing a feature of the ‘total insttuton’ described
are restricted as there are not enough where a signifcant number of people with by Gofman over 50 years ago (1).
staf on duty at any one tme to care needs are located under one roof to
accompany individual residents into reduce costs. If the economic argument DISPIRITING
the local community. In the past many lying behind the ‘warehousing’ model is What is dispiritng is the way in which
residents would have gone out to a day accepted then there is nothing to such concepts as ‘community care’ and
centre, adult training centre or prevent the creaton of larger and ‘inclusion’ have been deployed so casually
sheltered workshop but nearly larger ‘warehouses’. and uncritcally by politcians, academics
all these facilites are now closed and social commentators. The twin
because they were regarded as processes of micro-insttutonalisaton and
‘segregated’ setngs. warehousing will render opportunites of
Commentng on ofering personalised care virtually
When excursions for residents are these fndings, the CQC impossible. But who cares? Certainly not
scheduled they usually take place the government, which sees this partcular
during the day and involve visits to a reported that many of populaton as numerically too insignifcant
narrow range of venues – shopping malls, the failings were a to merit serious atenton (2).
garden centres and local parks. What is direct result of care
concerning about this practce is that A troubling sign of things to come may be
people with learning disabilites are not not being centred discerned in the decision by Scope, one of
seen by the public as individuals but on the individual or tailored UK’s largest disability charites, to cease
rather members of an undiferentated providing day and residental services.
group. This would not mater were it not to their needs – a feature Will other charites follow suit? If so, the
for the fact that since the Brexit of the ‘total insttuton’ temptaton for care services then to be
referendum a toxic climate has developed outsourced to the kind of companies
in Britain in which the level of tolerance described by Gofman identfed earlier may prove irresistble
for people who exhibit diferences – over 50 years ago. with disastrous consequences for people
whether intellectual, racial, ethnic, with learning disabilites.
religious or sexual orientaton –
is declining.
What cannot be disputed is the poor 1 Gofman, E. (1961) Asylums.
quality of services ofered to people London: Penguin Books.
Staf shortages – ofen acute – can lead with learning disabilites. This is clearly 2 Greig, R. (2016) ‘Clock turned back on
to the confnement of residents in their illustrated by the fndings of a Care rights for people with learning disabilites.’
‘home in the community’ – a practce not Quality Commission review of learning The Guardian, 14 October.
conducive to the creaton of a congenial, disability services conducted in 2017.
relaxed and normal environment. Unannounced inspectons were made at Robin Jackson is an author and
Thus what we have is segregated, 145 setngs, where two natonal commentator on social care and learning
not person-centred, provision. This is standards were examined: care and disability and a visitng research fellow
the antthesis of what those arguing for welfare and safeguarding (ie. protectng at the University of Hertordshire.

22 Vol 31 No 2 | Winter 2017 o uni Living www.cl-initatves.co.uk