Catalogue Number
NMLH.2024.41.3.2
Object Name
placard
Title
''Post Winterbourne' We Have Mendip'
Place
Bristol, Somerset, UK
People
Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN), Winterbourne View Hospital, Mendip House, National Autistic Society
Events
Winterbourne View abuse scandal, Mendip House abuse scandal
Description
A black placard spray painted with the words ''Post Winterbourne' We Have Mendip' in yellow and red.
This placard was used on 29 March 2019 as Autistic campaigners protested in Manchester and London to highlight the injustices of the investigations into abuse of residents at Mendip House, a care home for Autistic people in Somerset run by the National Autistic Society (NAS). The abuse was revealed by a whistle-blower in 2016 - on investigation staff were found to have physically assaulted, poisoned, bullied and financially abused residents over a number of years. The home was shut down and the staff were sacked, but the Care Quality Commission responsible for regulating care homes, only fined the NAS £4000, and the Crown Prosecution Service did not pursue criminal charges against staff, claiming that the 'standard of evidence' for a successful prosecution wasn't met. The Disability News Service revealed that the whistle-blower, and residents, were not interviewed by police while building the case. It is likely the 'reliable witness' wording on the placard is challenging the
perception that an Autistic person with high care needs couldn't be relied on to give evidence in court.
During the 2010s, a number of residential care homes and private hospitals for people with learning disabilities and Autistic people were exposed as subjecting residents to sustained abuse. Winterbourne View private hospital, near Bristol, was exposed by undercover reporters from BBC Panorama in 2011 which led to 11 staff members being charged with neglect and abuse. The abuse at Mendip House was described as 'Winterbourne but without the cameras'. After Winterbourne, the Conservative government promised that by 1st Jan 2014 all people with learning disabilities living in long term residential units and hospitals would be supported to live in the community. This target wasn't met - by 2014, the number of residents had risen, not fallen. The abuse at Mendip House is alleged to have begun in 2014 - if the initial goal to return all residents to community care had been met, it is likely that the people at Mendip would not have been abused in this way. Subsequent targets of moving 35% of
residents to community living by 2019, and then 2020, and then 2024 were also missed.
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