Families given green light to use CCTV in care homes after…

Michael Fleming was jailed in June after being caught on camera abusing a patient

NEXT year guidance will be issued to families concerned about the safety of their relatives in care homes about how to secretly install CCTV cameras.

Care home watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, will issue guidance explaining how to best monitor staff after a spate of prosecutions, including one in Borough Green, Sevenoaks, where abuse was caught on camera after staff raised concerns.

In June, handyman Michael Fleming, 66, was jailed for three years for sexually abusing a 'mentally-disordered' resident inWestbank Care Home, after a nurse who was suspicious of his behavioursecretly filmed him andcaught him on camera touching the patient inappropriately.

The nurse responsible for his downfall won the praise of Judge Jeremy Clarey for her sense of duty and presence of mind in doing what she did.

Now official guidelines are being preparedto help families install secret cameras, a decisionwhich was signed off by the CQC board yesterday.

The advice will be aimed at helping families maintain high standards of care for the elderly and assisting managers who suspect members of staff are abusing patients.

The CQC's Chief Inspector Andrea Sutcliffe, said: "We know that exploring the potential use of hidden and public cameras in care homes and other care settings is a really sensitive issue and one that provokes a huge range of debate and opinion.

"The information we will publish for providers makes clear the issues we expect them to take into account for example, consulting with people using the services and staff if they are considering installing hidden or public cameras.

"I hope the information we will publish for the public will help them make the right decisions in difficult circumstances and I look forward to making sure that this information is written in a way that is most useful for them."

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Families given green light to use CCTV in care homes after...