Nearly 900 allegations of sexual incidents in the social care system of England in THREE MONTHS

Nearly 1,000 allegations of sexual violence or other sexual incidents in the British social care system were reported to the health watchdog within just three months, a report reveals.

The Care Quality Commission, which compiled the report, said the impact on vulnerable people and their families of such attacks is “extremely devastating.”

The report describes 899 allegations of attacks or other sexual incidents, including 47 alleged rapes, between March and May 2018.

Three-quarters of the alleged incidents took place in nursing homes or care homes – and the victims were mostly women over 75 years old.

About 12 percent took place in the homes of vulnerable people.

The rest took place at more than one location, or in ‘assisted living’ services.

The report describes the case of a female social worker who sexually abused herself at night, including an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease.

The woman in prison has attacked ‘the most vulnerable’ people in the nursing home so that, according to the report, they would not be able to speak if she was sexually abused.

Almost half of the cases are categorized as alleged assault.

The allegations relate to aid workers and residents who have attacked other people in their facilities.

About 11 percent of the cases were classified as exposure or nudity.

And 5 percent reports were for “consensual” sex, which often have to be reported if participants are deemed unable to agree to sexual relationships.

The report said: “Sexual incidents were nearly four times more likely by men than women during the period under review.

“And women were more than three times more likely to be affected by sexual incidents than men.

“Forty-five percent of all affected people were women aged 75 and over in our findings.”

Officials last night stressed that with 1 million people using social care throughout England, the number of sexual incidents is very small.

CQC’s Senior Adult Social Care Inspector, Kate Terroni, said, “Supporting people as individuals means taking into account all aspects of a person’s needs, including sexuality and relationships.

‘Our report, however, also shows the other side of the story all too well: the moments when people are damaged in the place where they have to stay safe.

‘This is completely devastating, both for the people directly affected and their loved ones.

“Although we are aware that sexual incidents in healthcare services are not common, we know from conversations with those affected that the impact and consequences can be life-changing. Their message to us is that more needs to be done to prevent sexual abuse.

She added, “It is not good enough to place this issue in a” too difficult to discuss “box.

‘It is mainly because these subjects are sensitive and complex that they cannot be ignored.

“Clearly, abuse in any form can never be accepted and we must act on the findings in this report to help health care providers and staff protect people from sexual harm, while enabling people to continue intimate relationships set or develop. “

The authors called on social care providers to encourage people to talk about sexuality and to express safety concerns.

But Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK described the report as a ‘wake-up call’.

‘Being protected against all types of abuse is the least that an elderly person and his family can expect when they receive care, so this report is both welcome and a wake-up call for every healthcare provider to do everything possible to protect them from being sexually abuse, “she said.

“Abuse in any form is completely unacceptable and it is deeply worrying that the majority of the sexual abuse reported in this report took place in a home or nursing home for women over 75 years of age.

“Sexual abuse should not be swept under the carpet and it is clear from this report that in some cases health care providers do not keep some of our most vulnerable and vulnerable elderly people safe.”

Veronica Gray, deputy CEO of the Action on Elder Abuse organization, said: “More needs to be done to protect those most vulnerable to sexual abuse.

“The first priority of adult social services must be the safety and well-being of those under their care.”

But Kathryn Smith, chief operating officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said human rights should not be violated – even if they have an advanced disease.

“Consensual relationships can bring a lot of joy, and many people with dementia are still in intimate relationships or marriages that they may have had for decades,” she said.

“They have the same right to those relationships as everyone else.

“Being able to talk about consensual relationships is an essential part of protecting vulnerable people in care homes against possible abuse and an important part of their well-being.”