Video & Audio monitoring; what is ethical and professional? The ethics and issues from a family/service user perspective Dave McCallum - Director Public Protection specialist, Director of Eye Witness Care Monitoring and son of nursing home resident Dave Grimstead – Senior Partner

The debate context Increasing numbers of people with more complex needs requiring care services Care providers with high staff turnover, many from overseas and with limited previous employment history Often a profile of low skilled, low paid staff managing vulnerable people with complex needs and sometimes challenging behaviour 24/7 with limited supervision Investigative journalism and service users’ families have repeatedly uncovered abuse and poor practice not previously identified/acted upon by care providers using audio and video monitoring Families worry about the safety of their loved ones. More covert cameras will be deployed in care settings by third parties - increased reputational risk for care providers

We have an assumption of privacy in our homes and private spaces Fears over ‘Big Brother’ and the development of a ‘surveillance culture’ Complex issues of informed consent - mental capacity, age and level of understanding/cognitive ability Private rooms and communal areas; privacy, dignity and collateral intrusion Constant or occasional; routine or targeted Overt or covert Surveillance? The concerns about cameras

Staff rights to privacy and trust - who will see footage and how will it be used? Possible effect on staff/service user relationship Duty of care v autonomy of service users Logistical issues - who’s going to watch all that footage? Complex legislative and procedural requirements Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty What does it say about your confidence in your service?

Research indicates that abuse by professional carers is much more prevalent than is either recognised or uncovered Limited effectiveness of or faith in complaints and whistleblowing policies/procedures Polls and surveys increasingly show overwhelming support for CCTV use in care homes by service users’ families and increasing support by staff But…

The benefits of CCTV use in care settings Its deployment is a safeguard It illuminates indisputably the quality of care being delivered and compliance with stipulated policy/procedure The only definitive way of testing the actual experience of service users away from supervisory eyes Deal with allegations quickly and effectively It informs staffing levels and appraisal, performance related pay, training needs, good practice for wider dissemination, checks on record keeping and misconduct processes Evidence of proactive quality assurance for families and regulators Proportionality - care quality can mean life or death; the Human Rights balance

Specialist Safeguarding Support for the Care Industry and ethical video monitoring services fully compliant with all legislation and Statutory Guidance