Congratulations and Hoorah! Sheffield Voices has been nominated into the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders Award 2021 and are very happy to have been shortlisted.
Sheffield Voices has been nominated for their outstanding work on raising awareness and challenging issues relating to bad practice and abuse of patients in inpatients units both in Sheffield and beyond.
Sheffield Voices made a video about the inadequate rating by the CQC of Firshill Rise which is a hospital that was meant to care for people with a learning disability or Autism in crisis. Sheffield Voices were angry that people had been left in the unit for a long time with no proper discharge plan. They were upset that people were being frequently restrained and also that they were not being looked after properly.
Sheffield Voices invited all the Heads of Services to meet with them and asked them to change things. They also asked them to stop contracting with providers that have a history of abusing people with learning disability and Autism such as Cygnet Care who owned Whorlton hall and Wast Hill. Cygnet have two care homes in Sheffield and Sheffield Voices have found out that they do not offer staff training on how to care for people with complex needs.
In addition to this Sheffield Voices have been meeting with other advocacy projects in areas where hospitals have shut down due to abuse of patients and have been showing other projects how we challenged Sheffield Health and Social care and Sheffield city Council.
We hope Sheffield Voices will win! Results will be published on 3 December.
