That semi-dormant organisation the Care Quality Commission is about to stir from its slumber in order to investigate why learning disabled service users at Winterbourne View hospital in Bristol were subjected to such appalling abuse.
The care regulator will be reviewing all of provider Castlebeck's services and has been ordered by the Department of Health to carry out unannounced inspections of a sample of learning disability hospitals.
Moreover, it will be attempting to find out why it ignored information passed to it by Winterbourne whistleblower Terry Bryant. Not once, not twice, but three times.
From a distance, this multiple oversight looks like incompetence. So why should we have any faith in the CQC's ability to investigate its own role in the case? Or will the regulator's powers-that-be disregard their own request three times as they did the charge nurse's disclosures?
Unlikely, but they probably should.
Then they should offer up their organisation to an independent, external party to examine whether it is fit for purpose.
Picture: BBC/Panorama
