Whorlton Hall, Winterbourne … person-centred care is long dead for people with learning disabilities and autism

Abstract

Since the Winterbourne View abuse scandal in the United Kingdom, there have been responses and reports which have aimed at preventing this from happening again; however, more cases have emerged, including at Whorlton Hall, UK. There appears to be no hurry by the UK government to ensure a cultural shift occurs which places disabled people as the driving force in leading improvements in tackling systematic abuse in institutions that are meant to show compassion and care for people. In response, this article argues that person-centred care in its current form is out of date and needs to be scrapped in exchange for a new perspective that encapsulates People First values, which could go some way in ensuring that disabled people are no longer treated and classed as sub-humans.