A grandson has launched a petition for care workers to wear bodycams following the alleged abuse of his grandfather in a north London care home.
Liam Fairhead, 20, started raising concerns with Appletree Court Care Home in Burnt Oak about the treatment of his grandfather, Alan Stroud, two years ago.
Fairhead alleged that his grandfather, who died in May 2023, was roughly handled, mocked and teased by care workers, with an ombudsman report finding the home in violation of standards of the Care Quality Commission.
Fairhead said: “They treated him like he was nothing.”
Fairhead claimed the alleged abuse began after Stroud had a stroke, leaving him blind in one eye and with his left arm paralysed.
He further claimed he witnessed his grandfather sitting alone, tapping his plate to find food.
Stroud also had bruising across his hands and arms, and Fairhead claimed he witnessed care workers laughing when his grandfather complained of rough handling.
Fairhead alleges one care worker called Stroud a big baby when he cried out in pain.
Two months after Stroud’s death, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) investigation brought by Fairhead found Apple Tree Court Care Home in violation of standards of the Care Quality Commission.
In its published final decision, the LGSCO could not establish when the brusing on Stroud’s arms happened or what caused it, and stated Apple Tree Court Care Home acted appropriately in noting the bruising in a body map.
However, the home was found to be at fault for not completing an accurate record or body map for bruising on Stroud’s hand, which the home reported as being caused by a cannula inserted in his hand at the hospital but also referred to a skin tear when he trapped his hand beside the bed.
The ombudsman also found the home to be at fault for not properly recording communication from relatives about his care, and for when a staff member was rude to Stroud.
The report further stated Stroud’s hospital discharge records noted he required a soft diet due to restricted movement in his upper and lower limbs following his stroke, and now required supervision and assistance to move his plate having previously been able to eat independently.
Although the ombudsman could not determine fault with regards to the complaint staff did not assist him with eating or encourage him as much as they should, the care provider for Appletree Court Care Home apologised for not supporting Stroud with his eating in the way his family wished.
A spokesman for Appletree Court Care Home said: “The continued safety and comfort of those in our care is always our first priority, so we deeply regret that there were some elements of the service that fell short of our high standards in this instance.
“Appletree Court has fully taken on board the ombudsman’s report and worked with the council to implement the recommendations and make improvements.
“In addition to acting on the ombudsman’s findings, we have conducted a thorough internal review of our practice during Mr Stroud’s time with us, seeking to identify and remediate any additional learning points.
“We remain committed to providing the highest quality of care ensuring the wellbeing of everyone at Appletree Court.”
Barnet Council apologised for the treatment of Alan Stroud in the council-run care home, and offered a symbolic payment of £300, which the family rejected.
Fairhead and his family are not alone in their experience of care home negligence.
His petition demanding bodycams for care workers has over 43,000 signatures, and multiple comments tell their own stories of care home abuse.
Fairhead said: “I’m doing this petition so that other families don’t have to go through what we’ve been through, and are still going through, as a family.
While Fairhead’s petition calls for bodycams for care workers, he would also welcome the use of CCTV.
He believes video footage would provide categorical evidence which could not be falsified.
A YouGov poll commissioned by Alzheimer’s UK in 2024 found that 37% of people think that the service provided by care homes in the UK is ‘very bad’ or ‘fairly bad’.
Over two-thirds (69%) of people would be more likely to choose a care home with CCTV in communal areas, according to a 2023 poll commissioned by private provider Signature Care Homes.
Care Campaign for the Vulnerable, a non-profit organisation working with care suppliers to bring CCTV into care homes, director Jayne Connery believes many care homes resist CCTV installation because of a false sense that abuse could never happen in their homes.
Connery said: “Families want complete transparency
“We’ve got to live in a realistic world. We mustn’t close our eyes.”
CCTV may act as a deterrent for bad practise, and can provide safety monitoring, training aid and protection against false allegations, and Connery claims that the care staff she has worked with have all been hugely positive about it.
She is also in favour of bodycams for care workers.
Connery said: “Anything that protects the carer, the nurses and the vulnerable person, let’s do it.”
In 2018, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve sponsored a parliamentary debate on the use of CCTV in communal areas of care homes.
Fairhead hopes his petition will reach 100,000 signatures so that it may be debated again in Parliament.
Feature image: A photo of Alan Stroud in Apple Tree Court Care Home by Liam Fairhead
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