HEALTH and social care professionals from throughout Gwent met yesterday to discuss the findings of a report into a seven-year investigation into abuse of elderly people at care homes.

The conference at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran was arranged by the Gwent-wide Adult Safeguarding Board and saw around 80 experts discuss the results of a report by care expert Dr Margaret Flynn into Operation Jasmine.

The operation was set up in 2005 after the death of 84-year-old patient at Bryngwyn Mountleigh nursing home in Newbridge Gladys Thomas, who died after being given incorrect doses of medication, and ultimately identified 103 alleged victims of abuse and neglect.

Speaking at yesterday’s event Dr Flynn said she had found a number of shocking failings, including staff not being fully aware of patient’s needs and some not being properly trained.

But she warned these failings did not begin and end within the scope of Operation Jasmine.

“This didn’t start in 2005,” she said. “Homes don’t suddenly become horrifically harmful.” 

Recommendations of Dr Flynn’s report included improved regulation of the residential and nursing care home sector and that inquests should be held into four of the care home deaths, despite the fact they had already been registered with the coroner.

Dr Flynn – who also carried out a review into care at Winterbourne View Hospital in Bristol, where residents with learning difficulties suffered abuse – added the findings of her report were “very short on silver lining”.

“We need to do a lot better than this,” she said.

Attendees at yesterday’s event made a number of recommendations intended to prevent such abuse from happening again and better deal with it if it does, including the Adult Safeguarding Board working more closely with care home staff and providers. It was also suggested ratings from goodcareguide.co.uk – a website where patients and family members can rate care providers in a similar way to Trip Advisor – should be displayed openly in care homes.

Following yesterday’s conference the safeguarding board will write to the Welsh Government’s health minister Mark Drakeford to set out what lessons it believes can be learned from the case.

The care homes investigated in Operation Jasmine were Bryngwyn Mountleigh in Newbridge, Brithdir Care Home in Bargoed, The Beeches in Blaenavon, Belmont in Caerphilly, Grosvenor Care Home in Abertillery and Bankhouse in Ebbw Vale.

Of the 74 suspects identified during Operation Jasmine, 52 were arrested and 20 charged. The operation cost £11.6 million and involved 75 police staff, 4,126 statements, 10,534 exhibits and 49,222 pieces of documentation weighing around 12.52 tonnes.

Director of care home operator Puretruce Health Care Ltd Dr Prana Das and chief executive Paul Black were both charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act. But the case was dropped after Dr Das – who was also charged under the Theft Act – suffered severe head injuries during a burglary at his home and was ruled too ill to stand trial.

Dr Flynn’s report was commissioned by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and was published in July.