0:00:03 > 0:00:08Tonight on Panorama. A care home for the elderly.
0:00:08 > 0:00:15It is just totally sadistic. A daughter takes matters into her
0:00:15 > 0:00:19own hands. She is trying to protect her mother.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24So, they have just dumped her on the bed.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29Two nights inside an elderly care home, filmed on a secret camera.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32You could hear the poor lady cry out in pain. People were being
0:00:32 > 0:00:37treated with less respect than slabs of meat.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42And the fight to prevent other vulnerable old people suffering the
0:00:42 > 0:00:47same abuse. How can you go into a home where abuse is actually
0:00:47 > 0:00:57happened and it has literally been caught on film and then turn around
0:00:57 > 0:01:12
0:01:12 > 0:01:18I'm on my way to see someone whose actions could help change how we
0:01:18 > 0:01:25treat older people. It's personal for me. My mum needed
0:01:25 > 0:01:35to live in a care home for the last three years of her life.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Hi, Fi. How are you? Good. Jane Worroll's mother, Maria was
0:01:39 > 0:01:44mistreated when she flifd a north London care home.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48This is some photos of mum. She's beautiful in that, isn't she?
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Gorgeous. I really couldn't have asked for a
0:01:52 > 0:01:57better mum, really. I feel like as a person she has got the biggest
0:01:57 > 0:02:01heart. Always laughing, always joking. Just really strong. Really
0:02:01 > 0:02:09independent. Really independent as a parent.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14But then, Jane's mother became ill and needed more and more care.
0:02:14 > 0:02:22Maria was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the most common form
0:02:22 > 0:02:26of dementia. Uentally she could barely communicate and needed help
0:02:26 > 0:02:29with nearly all aspects of her life, including personal care.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I kept her at home living independently for as long as I
0:02:34 > 0:02:40could. She started falling over a lot.
0:02:40 > 0:02:50Then one day came -- I came around to find she had not moved at all
0:02:50 > 0:02:55from her bed and she could not move. Jane reluctantly picked a care home
0:02:55 > 0:03:03for her mother. A care home called Ash Court. A new-build block
0:03:03 > 0:03:08nestled in the middle of a residential north London square. A
0:03:08 > 0:03:1460-bedroom home on three floors that provides nursing and respite
0:03:14 > 0:03:19care. Jane chose it after reading a report by the national regulator,
0:03:19 > 0:03:24the Care Quality Commission. I was naive to a lot of it, but
0:03:24 > 0:03:29reading the CQC report it had an excellent rating which is obviously
0:03:29 > 0:03:32all you have to go against as a gauge against what the care home is
0:03:32 > 0:03:39like. It gave it an excellent rating.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Even though the CQC said that Ash Court was "excellent" Jane began to
0:03:45 > 0:03:50worry about her mother. Six weeks in after arriving at Ash
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Court I noticed there was bruising on her arms and hands. It was like
0:03:54 > 0:03:58fingerprint bruising now, when I look back on it. Small fingerprint
0:03:58 > 0:04:03bruegs. Jane was told that Maria was
0:04:03 > 0:04:06bruising easily as she was taking aspirin. Months later, Jane was
0:04:06 > 0:04:10worried, she decided to do something.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15She seemed so upset and down. I felt the only way I could know was
0:04:15 > 0:04:21to record it. I was not thinking anything. I just wanted to see what
0:04:21 > 0:04:28my mum's life was like. We decided to buy this small digital camera it
0:04:28 > 0:04:32looks like a digital clock. The first attempts to film in
0:04:32 > 0:04:39Jane's moth's bedroom failed. The camera position at the bottom of
0:04:39 > 0:04:43the bed did not work. Or the memory ran out. Then on June the 17th, the
0:04:43 > 0:04:48camera worked. Everyone who entered into the bedroom was recorded. The
0:04:48 > 0:04:52sound quality is poor, but clear. We have cut down the two-and-a-half
0:04:53 > 0:04:59hours of footage that Jane filmed, we have not left out good care or
0:04:59 > 0:05:07good carers. This is two nights in Maria Worroll's life at Ash Court.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11This is them putting my mum to bed. Yes, at 5730pm? Yes, I am shocked
0:05:11 > 0:05:19it is that early. I thought it was later than that. Normally they
0:05:19 > 0:05:25would have done about 6.30pm or 7 .3 0 pm, but this is early.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30The two carers from the Philippines lift Maria by the shoulders.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Oh,... Although Jane has watched the footage before, this is the
0:05:35 > 0:05:38first time I've seen it. They have just dumped her on the
0:05:38 > 0:05:43bed. Dumped her and she does not know
0:05:43 > 0:05:52what is happening. And she's got arthritis.
0:05:52 > 0:05:58They just chucked her and then walked off! I asked a leading
0:05:58 > 0:06:03specialist in dementia care to watch the footage of two nights in
0:06:03 > 0:06:12Maria's life at Ash Court. He says unless there is a fire, staff
0:06:12 > 0:06:16should use a mechanical hoist and painlessly get Maria to bed. They
0:06:16 > 0:06:21were available. It is like being treated like an
0:06:21 > 0:06:27object. Like a sack of potatoes being moved from A to B rather than
0:06:27 > 0:06:34a human being. If you have dementia, how do you cope with something like
0:06:34 > 0:06:39that? If she goes to bed at 5.30pm in the evening in a room that is
0:06:39 > 0:06:44stark, bare with nothing to look at. What is this person going to do for
0:06:44 > 0:06:51the rest of the evening? Maria had been living at Ash Court for nearly
0:06:51 > 0:06:55a year by the time that Jane hid the camera in her bedroom.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00They are not speaking to her, either.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04No, they are speaking Filipino. I have never known what they are
0:07:04 > 0:07:14saying. We translated it, but it is unclear
0:07:14 > 0:07:14
0:07:14 > 0:07:20what they are talking about. But very little is about Maria or
0:07:20 > 0:07:23her care. How frightening for her, she looks
0:07:23 > 0:07:26bewildered. Oh, dear.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30You can see they have hurt her now. Absolutely.
0:07:30 > 0:07:37They have put a bag on her head, lovely.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Oh, my goodness! Her wrists are really sore. All of her joints are
0:07:40 > 0:07:45really sore. So all of that Yanking and chucking.
0:07:45 > 0:07:53It is like she is cattle. You see farmers do that. Oh, God! They
0:07:53 > 0:07:56should be putting a sheet under Maria to move her, not yanking her.
0:07:56 > 0:08:02Especially designed slip-sheets were in her bedroom.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07All of these things, like where I saw the bruises makes sense. It was
0:08:07 > 0:08:11all fingerprint marks and they were on the hands.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15That is them gripping her by the arm.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20And that is her job. And that is her getting to bed.
0:08:20 > 0:08:27That is her evening. Later that same night a different
0:08:27 > 0:08:32carer briefly visits Maria. And she comes back 40 minutes later
0:08:32 > 0:08:41with a colleague. There is no greeting for Maria when
0:08:41 > 0:08:46the two carers arrive to bathe her. So again there is no, "Hi Maria, we
0:08:46 > 0:08:53are coming in." They switch the TV on for their benefit.
0:08:53 > 0:09:01And this is the whole time she has been in bed from 5.30pm, she is
0:09:01 > 0:09:09just staring at the ceiling. Their job is done, good night. The
0:09:09 > 0:09:13TV is off. That is for their benefit.
0:09:13 > 0:09:21Nine hours later, early morning, the same two carers are back. This
0:09:21 > 0:09:28time to give Maria her morning bath. Maria has been in bed for 13 hours.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32This is the morning. I think it is the same two you have
0:09:32 > 0:09:36just seen. They are probably coming to the end
0:09:36 > 0:09:46of their shift. The carers start to talk about life
0:09:46 > 0:09:55
0:09:55 > 0:10:00at Ash Court and their colleagues. While they are talking Maria tries
0:10:00 > 0:10:07to resist them removing her sheets, so they pull harder.
0:10:07 > 0:10:16She is just ripping the sheets off. The way that they just grab hold of
0:10:16 > 0:10:26her limbs... Look at that, they have just slapped her away again.
0:10:26 > 0:10:42
0:10:42 > 0:10:52The carers start to talk about They soon begin talking about their
0:10:52 > 0:11:03
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Our expert recognises these sorts of comments from other homes.
0:11:09 > 0:11:16So, they are angry themselves, aren't they? This is the thing.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Yes. You know, care staff do find it difficult. They are paid little
0:11:21 > 0:11:23money, as this lady is saying, but with no more are staff that
0:11:23 > 0:11:27person's experience can be different.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33But unless you address the care cultures they are left to fester
0:11:33 > 0:11:42and fester. That is where you get these kind of really unacceptable
0:11:42 > 0:11:47practises. They just need to be taken out.
0:11:47 > 0:11:57The carer is wishing Maria a good sleep, if only between her morning
0:11:57 > 0:11:57
0:11:58 > 0:12:02bath at 6.30 pm and her breakfast two hours later.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07We don't know if Maria slept or just staired at the ceiling. Until
0:12:07 > 0:12:13one of the two carers from the night before put her to bed roughly
0:12:13 > 0:12:19walks in. She is here to feed Maria. Later after the breakfast, staff
0:12:19 > 0:12:22took Maria out of her room as usual, but by then Jane's camera stopped
0:12:22 > 0:12:27working. The last recording is at 9.00am.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32No word of a greeting. That TV has been off the whole time.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37I specifically told them not to leave her lying, to let her have a
0:12:37 > 0:12:43TV or magazine or something. It is porridge. She also has a
0:12:43 > 0:12:48cooked breakfast there as well. Just nothing.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52The carer starts to give Maria breakfast, then breaks off to
0:12:52 > 0:12:58switch on the TV so she can watch it while feeding her.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04So, she has finally put the telly Because she is looking at it, that
0:13:04 > 0:13:09is why. There is no speech at all. And there is this switching from
0:13:09 > 0:13:15spoonfuls of porridge back to scrambled egg and whatever else it
0:13:15 > 0:13:21is. Do you know what I mean? Maria is being fed too quickly. The carer
0:13:21 > 0:13:26gives a spoonful roughly every 13 seconds. Even when a carer that
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Jane believes is a nurse to pass through to help to give medication.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37She is choking because it is getting shovelled in.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42It is not the only time that Maria's feeders are impatient. On
0:13:42 > 0:13:47the second night Jane's secret camera was filming when Maria was
0:13:47 > 0:13:54given this drink. Open your mouth! That is her drink
0:13:54 > 0:13:59for the evening. What can she do? She can't write down help, she
0:13:59 > 0:14:05cannot say help, you Sian not get up and run away. She just has to
0:14:05 > 0:14:09endure it. That is horrible. Maria's first day of being secretly
0:14:09 > 0:14:13filmed at Ash Court is over. To me this is the whole sequence,
0:14:13 > 0:14:18it is everything. Being put to bed in a manner that is painful. You
0:14:18 > 0:14:21are thrown into bed. Nothing is told as to what is happening. It is
0:14:21 > 0:14:26a new day, it is a new beginning. There is no communication.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Everything is shovelled in. There is no joy, no tenderness, empathy.
0:14:31 > 0:14:41There is nothing. I was horrified, to see that. To see that was a day
0:14:41 > 0:14:43
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Jane took the secret footage out of Ash Court. The clock had a memory
0:14:47 > 0:14:51card in it, which you would put into a laptop to view the images. I
0:14:51 > 0:14:56was not aware what I was going to see. I just felt completely at ease.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02Sitting at home, she saw the rough handling and speed fielding and was
0:15:02 > 0:15:07horrified. -- feeding. I just thought, I want to put it in for
0:15:07 > 0:15:12another time, I wanted to see if it was a one-off. It was a really hard
0:15:12 > 0:15:19decision. But worse was to come. Three days later, Jane put the
0:15:19 > 0:15:24camera back into her mother's room for a second night. It is just
0:15:24 > 0:15:29after 7pm and, against her daughter's requests and the Home's
0:15:29 > 0:15:36policies, a male care is alone with Maria. He is giving her Hernych
0:15:36 > 0:15:43bath. He should not even being there. -- Hernych to Bath. She is
0:15:43 > 0:15:53frightened already. Just pushing her Rover. I don't know how he got
0:15:53 > 0:15:55
0:15:55 > 0:16:05Playing it again, I can't see anything that would have provoked
0:16:05 > 0:16:22
0:16:22 > 0:16:27He mocks her. He's twisting her arm. This male carer is 30-year-old
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Jonathan Aquino. Ash Court hired him in the Philippines, where he
0:16:32 > 0:16:37was a qualified nurse, and arranged his work permit to come to the UK
0:16:37 > 0:16:41in 2008. The Metropolitan Police later interviewed people who knew
0:16:41 > 0:16:46dock and the Queen now. Nobody suspected him. Colleagues, other
0:16:46 > 0:16:55residents, other families of residents, they knew him as a
0:16:55 > 0:16:59perfectly amenable sort of chap. Having seen the CCTV footage, one
0:16:59 > 0:17:09questions why was this? That he chose to have a different demeanour
0:17:09 > 0:17:19when he is on his own. I don't know. It is 7:15pm. After hitting hair,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21
0:17:21 > 0:17:27he continues to give her her Gosh, I can't imagine what your
0:17:27 > 0:17:37mother must have been feeling. Terrified. What can she do? She
0:17:37 > 0:17:47
0:17:47 > 0:17:57Remember, Jonathan should not even be in the room. Maria should be
0:17:57 > 0:18:12
0:18:12 > 0:18:22moved by two carers, using slip Oh, dear. In all, Jonathan slaps
0:18:22 > 0:18:28
0:18:28 > 0:18:33One final slap, just to make sure? During the seven minutes he is
0:18:33 > 0:18:43filmed in the room, he never speaks, except to say where or to mock, by
0:18:43 > 0:18:49
0:18:49 > 0:18:55imitating head. That is health. I'm sorry, every time I see him,
0:18:55 > 0:19:03it's just awful. It is awful. Can you imagine? I screamed, actually,
0:19:04 > 0:19:10when I first saw it. Jonathan Aquino leaves Maria's room at
0:19:10 > 0:19:157:20pm. I just remember screaming, jumping up. I just wanted to tear
0:19:15 > 0:19:22the house apart. She is just so vulnerable. She cannot get up, she
0:19:22 > 0:19:28cannot call for help. It is just totally sadistic. She drove
0:19:28 > 0:19:34straight to the care home and showed the manager her footage.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38was just feeling physically sick. The person I wanted to be with was
0:19:38 > 0:19:45my mum. I just wanted to go to her, scoop her rapper. Eventually, when
0:19:45 > 0:19:51I did get to her, I was, like, it's going to stop now. You are safe now.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55None of this is going to happen any more. All five of the main carers
0:19:55 > 0:20:03that she filmed were suspended. One of those five, Jonathan Aquino, was
0:20:03 > 0:20:06arrested. I can remember him not answering any questions to the
0:20:06 > 0:20:11police in the interview. What was his demeanour during that
0:20:11 > 0:20:17interview? It was a bit of a blank, a vacant look. Whether or not that
0:20:17 > 0:20:21was something he chose to put on to try to forget it and not recall
0:20:21 > 0:20:28what had happened, I don't know. But it was very much that he was
0:20:28 > 0:20:34there in person, but... Bizarre. Both the police and social workers
0:20:34 > 0:20:37took action. Although the manager of Ash Court suspended all of the
0:20:37 > 0:20:43staff that train filmed for any length of time, Jane felt that the
0:20:43 > 0:20:48company then wanted to sweep it under the carpet. But then chief-
0:20:48 > 0:20:51executive wrote to Jane a month after her mother was assaulted
0:20:51 > 0:20:59saying that now was a good opportunity to move forward
0:20:59 > 0:21:02positively. Jane needed support. She came here, Toopi Relatives &
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Residents Association, a small national charity, based around the
0:21:07 > 0:21:13corner from her. The head of the charity is horrified that the care
0:21:13 > 0:21:17home did not prevent the abuse in the first place. How could five
0:21:17 > 0:21:21different workers not know that she had to be moved gently? How could
0:21:21 > 0:21:26anyone managing at home not notice that a hoist was not going into
0:21:26 > 0:21:32that room? You could hear the poor lady crying out in pain at the way
0:21:32 > 0:21:35she was being moved. That does not suggest a one-off problem. It
0:21:35 > 0:21:42suggests a deep, cultural problem in that home, where people were
0:21:42 > 0:21:48being treated with less respect than slabs of meat. Jonathan Aquino
0:21:48 > 0:21:54had been arrested for assault and ill-treatment. But Ash Court was
0:21:55 > 0:21:59still employing the other four female carers. The chief executive
0:21:59 > 0:22:04wrote to Jane saying her mother's treatment was not gross misconduct
0:22:04 > 0:22:09and that all four would be returning to work. They were going
0:22:09 > 0:22:12to put these people back, after four days' training, being
0:22:12 > 0:22:20supervised, they didn't really considerate gross misconduct. They
0:22:20 > 0:22:24were actually about to go back to work. I was just horrified. 5 and a
0:22:24 > 0:22:31half months after the manager of Ash Court watched the footage, the
0:22:31 > 0:22:36company finally sacked the other four care workers. We asked the
0:22:36 > 0:22:41owners, Forest Healthcare, to talk to us. I wanted to ask why they did
0:22:41 > 0:22:45not act more swiftly to sack care workers who manhandled and speed-
0:22:45 > 0:22:51fed Maria, why they did not prevent the abuse in the first place. They
0:22:51 > 0:22:55refused, instead sending a statement saying that what was
0:22:55 > 0:22:59filmed was an isolated incident, even though all of the five main
0:22:59 > 0:23:03care workers had to be sacked. Forest Healthcare say that even
0:23:03 > 0:23:07though Jane complained to a number of carers, the family had not
0:23:07 > 0:23:11raised concerns with the home manager prior to showing the video
0:23:11 > 0:23:14footage. After the manager of the home watched the footage, the
0:23:14 > 0:23:19company requested to see it a second time, to complete the
0:23:19 > 0:23:23disciplinary process. Immediately after viewing it again, they say,
0:23:23 > 0:23:30we completed proceedings and all four were dismissed. The companies
0:23:31 > 0:23:34say that all of their staff receive full training. They say Ash Court
0:23:35 > 0:23:39is committed to working closely with all families and residents and
0:23:39 > 0:23:46that they continue to get positive feedback on their care, which is
0:23:46 > 0:23:53subject to continual improvement. Jonathan Aquino pleaded guilty to
0:23:53 > 0:23:57common assault and ill-treatment. But it is not just the four carers
0:23:57 > 0:24:00who have been sacked and the one in court. What about the national
0:24:00 > 0:24:04regulator, the Care Quality Commission, who rated the home
0:24:04 > 0:24:09excellent? The inspectors took at least three months to produce a
0:24:09 > 0:24:16report. When they did, they concluded that Ash Court ensures
0:24:16 > 0:24:20that people who use the service are protected from abuse. Their rights
0:24:20 > 0:24:23are respected and upheld. Jane is angry that the report does not warn
0:24:23 > 0:24:29the public that her mother was mistreated and assaulted. Instead,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32it says, the local council was alerted to safeguarding consents.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38They also say that the police were informed that some staff were
0:24:38 > 0:24:42suspended, pending an investigation, and that an action plan is in place.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48The regulator told Panorama, the fact that a serious incident has
0:24:48 > 0:24:52taken place is made very clear. When I read it, just another slap
0:24:52 > 0:24:57around the face. I just felt like they had basically given it a clean
0:24:57 > 0:25:02bill of health again, Bart two minor adjustments. It makes me
0:25:02 > 0:25:05worry for the people who are potentially about to put a relative
0:25:05 > 0:25:10into a care home. How can you actually going to wear home where
0:25:10 > 0:25:17abuse has actually happened, it has literally been caught on film, and
0:25:17 > 0:25:22then turn around and say that it is compliant? Words fail me. You know,
0:25:22 > 0:25:27I just feel really let down. head of the charity supporting Jane
0:25:27 > 0:25:32is also angry about the CQC's report. It does not say that a
0:25:32 > 0:25:37member of staff has been charged. It is not an honest document. It
0:25:37 > 0:25:44isn't a helpful document. It isn't a decent document. This is really
0:25:44 > 0:25:48an area where the CQC can do so much, if it uses its powers. They
0:25:48 > 0:25:54can actually cancel the provider's registration, if they are shown not
0:25:54 > 0:25:59to be fit. We would suggest that provider was very clearly shown not
0:26:00 > 0:26:04to be fit. We asked the Care Quality Commission for an interview
0:26:04 > 0:26:08but they refused. They did send the statement, which says, we will
0:26:08 > 0:26:13always act swiftly to protect people where we see poor care. Now,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16they say they inspected within four days of learning what happened to
0:26:16 > 0:26:21Maria and that they received positive feedback from people at
0:26:21 > 0:26:28home. Both they and the council did not find any new evidence of poor
0:26:28 > 0:26:31practice or abuse. If we had done so, we would have taken action.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Inspectors recently returned to the home, again and announced, and
0:26:35 > 0:26:45found improvements. They told us, CQC is confident it has acted
0:26:45 > 0:26:49
0:26:49 > 0:26:59swiftly and correctly in light of The Jonathan Aquino attended court
0:26:59 > 0:27:02
0:27:02 > 0:27:12He was sentenced to 18 months. After his time in prison, he may be
0:27:12 > 0:27:21
0:27:21 > 0:27:30Maria Worroll is in a new home, where Jane says she is happier.
0:27:30 > 0:27:39Would you like a biscuit? Hi, how are you doing? Nice to see you.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45This is Maria. This is Fiona, mum. Lovely to see her under different
0:27:45 > 0:27:50circumstances. I know, totally. does it make you feel, seeing your
0:27:50 > 0:27:55mum in such a different situation? Much better. She is much happier.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01She is dressed properly, she is clean, her hair has been done, she
0:28:01 > 0:28:06looks happy. She is, a lot happier. Maria is not at Ash Court any
0:28:06 > 0:28:11longer, but the care home remains open. Social workers say they are
0:28:11 > 0:28:15monitoring the home closely. The police say they would not advise
0:28:15 > 0:28:20people to secretly filming care homes. But if this is what two
0:28:20 > 0:28:27nights of filming has revealed in one care home, how many other cases
0:28:27 > 0:28:30like this are there? Next week, it will be five years
0:28:30 > 0:28:36since three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal. Is