STAFF and volunteers must be empowered to raise concerns about how care homes are run without fear of reprisals.

The call comes from the families of residents at the now closed Orchid View care home in Copthorne, near Crawley.

Other recommendations include installing a board of governors in every care home as standard practice and better testing and scrutiny of registered managers.

They have also called for a structure to be put in place to protect against profits and business objectives being put before the safety of residents in care homes.

The recommendations came during a special workshop held in June to discuss the findings of The Orchid View - One Year On report drawn up by the West Sussex safeguarding adults board.

The final version of the report, published yesterday, (fri) includes feedback from the event, which was attended by relatives and various government and local government authorities and agencies.

Neglect contributed to five deaths at the privately run home between 2009 and 2011, while a further 14 people who died were found to have received “sub-optimal” care.

The home, run by Southern Cross, was closed down in 2011 after a whistleblower phoned police.

Prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to bring charges against those involved.

During the workshop residents said clear information should be given to care homes and relatives about where and who to call if they have a concern and agencies needed to keep talking to one another to get it right and create a culture of working and communicating together.

They also said officials needed to increase the public’s confidence in raising concerns, particularly within a care home environment and there must be a more robust scrutiny of big organisations delivering care services and setting up care homes.

West Sussex safeguarding adults board chairman David Cooper said: “We must now focus on the challenge that the relatives of the residents of Orchid View made to the various organisations at the conclusion of the workshop in June.

“It is for the organisations now to show the continued commitment to learn the lessons from the events at Orchid View.”

Council leader Louise Goldsmith said: “A huge amount of work and learning continues to go on to make sure the partnership that makes up the safeguarding adults board does everything in its power to prevent a repeat of the tragic events at Orchid View.

“We will continue to engage with the Orchid View relatives and will remain ever vigilant to make sure the most vulnerable in our county are protected.”