Up to 50 incidents being examined by police over treatment of care home residents

Sussex Police said an investigation into safeguarding concerns at Sussex Health Care (SHC) homes was currently at an early stage.

West Sussex County Council, whose contract with the firm is estimated to be worth millions of pounds, has suspended new placements to eight of the company’s care homes “due to serious safeguarding concerns”.

Dr James Walsh, health and adult social care committee vice-chairman, said the scale of the suspension was “very unusual”. Councillor Peter Catchpole, a long-time paid adviser of SHC, resigned as cabinet member for health at the end of last month for “personal reasons”.

The safeguarding concerns are reported to relate to up to 50 incidents.

The county council said it had no plans to move any existing residents. Officials said it was committed to publishing the names of homes where significant safeguarding concerns are raised but the most recent update on its website from Friday names only two homes – The Laurels in Broadbridge Heath and Orchard Lodge in Warnham.

Dr Walsh said: “It is very unusual. Usually a suspension would affect one home where there are concerns about the quality of care or finances. It raises a lot of questions that need answering about the nature of the investigation.”

SHC said it wrote to residents, relatives and staff about the investigation as soon as it was launched and measures were in place to ensure residents’ safety and wellbeing.

The firm said Cllr Catchpole had “decades of experience in healthcare” and had been providing strategic advice to the organisation for several years, all appropriately declared in the council’s register of interests.

An SHC spokesman said: “We are working openly with all parties to assist the investigation. We have taken the additional step of appointing an independent expert to carry out a comprehensive review of procedures at all levels.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Where safeguarding concerns are raised about any care home in the county we work closely with the home to try and resolve those issues and support them in making improvements. We have committed to publishing the names of homes where we have significant safeguarding concerns. We have no plans currently to move residents but obviously we will continue to keep this under review.

A police spokesman said: “No arrests have been made at this time. Our enquiries are at an early stage.”

COUNCILLOR’S LONG-STANDING LINK TO HEALTH FIRM

A LEADING councillor’s long-standing links to a care firm now under police investigation has come as a complete shock to his counterparts.

Dr James Walsh said he understood Cllr Peter Catchpole’s relationship with Sussex Health Care stretched back 15 years.

The Lib Dem councillor said he had received assurances from the council’s monitoring officer that Cllr Catchpole’s interest had been properly declared at cabinet meetings but he personally did not remember such declarations being made at other public forums when care homes were being discussed.

Dr Walsh said: “I didn’t know about his connection to this company and nobody else in the opposition groups knew about it either.”

Dr Walsh has now called for a council investigation into the outside interests of councillors.

He said a statement from West Sussex County Council announcing Cllr Catchpole’s decision to step down from his cabinet role for “personal reasons” was “misleading”.

A month earlier, responsibility for adult social care had been transferred to council leader Louise Goldsmith.

A council spokeswoman said the removal of adult social care responsibilities was to ensure that there was no risk of any actual or perceived conflict of interest. The authority said Cllr Catchpole had avoided decisions or briefings that may relate to Sussex Health Care.

She added: “There was no requirement or expectation that he should step down from cabinet. Mr Catchpole elected to take that decision himself for personal reasons as has been stated.”

Cllr Catchpole declined to comment.