Organisational, institutional, or service level abuse or neglect may occur within an institution, such as a hospital or care home. It may also happen through someone providing care from a service within a private home.
The abuse may range from one off incidents to ongoing ill-treatment.
It can be through individual neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within the organisation.
Warning signs may include:
- no flexibility or choice for people using the service
- inadequate staffing levels
- patients left hungry or dehydrated
- poor standards of care
- lack of personal clothing and possessions for patients and communal use of personal items
- lack of adequate procedures
- poor record-keeping and missing documents
- absence of visitors
- few social, recreational and educational activities
- public discussion of personal matters
- unnecessary exposure during bathing or using the toilet
- absence of individual care plans
- lack of management oversight and support