LETTER : Hodge's legacy in Islington

From Mr Nick Moreton

Sir: You rightly devoted a considerable part of your edition of 24 May to the White report on Islington's care practices. Most of the concern seems to surround the people who might now be carrying out wholly inappropriate care practices elsewhere, as opposed to those many managers who will have since moved on and will still be failing to confront inappropriate behaviour and practices. You fail to highlight the degree of active and passive collusion required at all levels for bad behaviour to flourish.

Disciplinary codes need to impose a duty to speak out and deal with failure to do so. It was reported that managers believed that they would not be supported if they triggered disciplinary investigations involving staff from ethnic minorities or the gay community. Were there any grounds for such a belief, and what were/are the local authority doing about those beliefs?

Their continued existence is a real threat to all those vulnerable citizens in receipt of care services, and of much greater concern than the whereabouts of the 32 staff against whom allegations were made.

Yours sincerely,

NICK MORETON

Chairman

Trident Housing Association

Birmingham

25 May