Tag: Hourglass charity

Calls to abuse helpline for older people rise TWO THIRDS IN ONE YEAR

Fraud, theft, abuse and neglect reaches epidemic levels

Older people are being targeted more than ever before in new statistics and data revealed by Hourglass at the start of Safer Ageing Week (11/11/24).

The charity, the only one of its kind in the UK, reports that calls to its helpline are up 65% year-on-year and this has led to over 75,000 calls, contacts and impacts involving older people, their families and professionals.

This is an all-time record for the thirty-year-old charity.

As part of a new campaign, entitled Take Note, the charity is urging the general public and influencers to finally grasp the nettle about the abuse of older people and treat it in the same manner as other forms of abuse.

This comes off the back of recent staggering data that revealed over £53m has been reported as losses relating to economic abuse in the past three years – an average of £87k per case (5,127 cases). These figures, which come from Hourglass cases alone, are likely to be a significant underestimate.

Hourglass, who uniquely support older victim-survivors of abuse and neglect, employ just thirty members of staff to deal with cases, calls and research. However, the charity has seen figures jump from around 10,000 in 2020/21 to the new high of 75,000 in 2023/24.



Commenting on the figures, Richard Robinson CEO of Hourglass, said: “There is no question we are facing an epidemic of abuse of older people in the UK but it remains firmly under the radar.

“We estimate that abuse of older people costs the UK economy £16 billion per year, excluding economic abuse, and this equates to a figure of £50k per victim-survivor per year.

“Safer Ageing Week 2024 is a rare opportunity to shine a light on these issues and sound the alarm bell.

We are sleepwalking into a scenario where we are expecting more than nine million extra older people in the UK by 2050, equivalent to another city with the population of London, but with little pre-planning around safer ageing, abuse services and specialist safeguarding.

“We are already at epidemic levels – without urgent work, we are looking at a tidal wave of issues.”

State of Care report reveals a social care catastrophe

State of Care report reveals a social care catastrophe, with thousands of older people being put at risk of abuse and neglect

Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people, is raising concerns of a social care catastrophe following the release of the CQC’s State of Care report.  

The report reveals a shocking level of discontent among care staff in the UK due to inadequate training, high staff turnover and vacancy rates. The report reveals that by the end of 2023/24 over a quarter of staff in care homes have left their roles, with vacancy rates three times higher than the wider economy.
 
A GMB Union survey shows that 70% of social care workers say understaffing is negatively affecting their mental health in addition to increasing rates of care workers neglecting themselves.
 
The charity warns that this level of dissatisfaction among care staff is a huge risk factor for the abuse and neglect of older people and raises deep concerns over the future of the care sector.
 
Hourglass also warns of troubling reports from the CQC regarding a lack of understanding of older people with dementia. Ineffective support, poor training and a lack of specialist care results in increased risk of abuse.

The report notes from an anonymous source that:

“The people treating him didn’t know how to communicate and shouted at him about causing distress. I intervened on several occasions. We were left for long periods of time with no explanations.”



With an extra nine million older people, a population the size of London, set to populate the UK by 2050, Hourglass is calling on the UK government to prioritise reform of the social care sector to protect this ageing population from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The charity is encouraging everyone to support their Older Age, Tomorrow’s Hope campaign, which calls on the general public, third sector leaders, care professionals and businesses to sign up and support a Safer Ageing Society by 2050. 

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Groundbreaking research uncovers increasing rate of sexual violence against older people

Hourglass has teamed up with independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn to publish her new research which reveals there were 274 allegations of staff sexually assaulting older patients recorded in just three years.

The research, which is available to read in full on the Hourglass website, follows a study produced in 2021, inspired by the case of Valerie Kneale who passed away due to injuries from a sexual assault in Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

It found that 75 cases of sexual abuse committed by staff were recorded from 2016 to 2021.

This new research, released today has revealed that in just three years, that number has more than tripled.

In comparison to findings from the previous period, even less cases were reported to police, with over a third not reported or closed as ‘No Further Action’.
 
The research also found that the majority of victims of this sexual violence were not referred to  a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) or specialist services, with a total of 127 victims not referred for support following the abuse.

The perpetrators of this abuse were most frequently found to be nurses or nursing assistants, the majority of victims were female and 85% of alleged perpetrators being male.

The research recommends that better reporting practices would result in improved justice outcomes, alongside a need for specific safeguarding training for staff to spot the signs of abuse, particularly when it comes to older victims.

Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity supporting older victims-survivors of abuse and neglect, operating a 24/7 helpline, unique casework service and specialist local support. The charity warns that the findings of this report is emblematic of the rising epidemic of abuse, which affects a reported 1 in 6 older people in the UK. 

Independent researcher Amanda Warburton-Wynn said: “Whilst I knew this was happening, I didn’t expect to see such a high number of incidents.

“The most surprising thing was the number of incidents being so much higher than last time although over a shorter period. It is a shocking number of incidents against a likely near zero criminal justice response.” 

Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass said: “The extent of abuse revealed in this research and the lack of response from NHS trusts is shocking and deeply concerning.

“The findings show numerous systemic failures to protect older individuals in hospitals in the first place and even more in the failure to act once the incidents have taken place.

“It is deeply concerning to see so many older victim-survivors not referred to specialist support. Specialist services are a lifeline for older people who have experienced abuse and it’s essential that these services are available and accessible to all those who need them.” 

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Charity calls for urgent Government action to combat abuse of older people

At the start of Safer Ageing Week, Hourglass (Safer Ageing) calls on the Government to meet with the charity as calls to helpline surge

After months of trying to secure a meeting with the Safeguarding Minister, delayed due to changes in Ministers and turmoil in the heart of Government, Hourglass is frustrated that the Home Office has now cancelled another scheduled meeting with Minister Sarah Dines for Wednesday 14 December.

The meeting has been cancelled due to the Home Office launching a commercial competition for funding as part of Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG) strategy. Hourglass (Safer Ageing) is the only specialist UK wide charity supporting older victim-survivors of abuse, with 40% of the casework being with older men.

Hourglass, the only UK-wide charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, believes there needs to be a separate strategy and funding pool to address abuse of older people, as they have specific needs that a different to other demographics.

Hourglass has seen a 96% increase in calls to its 24/7 helpline this year. It is unacceptable that every request made by the charity to meet with Ministers has fallen on deaf ears when older people are suffering.

On 29 July this year, the Ready for Rishi Campaign made the following commitment to Hourglass: “If he is fortunate enough to be elected as Prime Minister, a Rishi-led government would seek to engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass, in order to ensure that no one is left behind and the needs of all those who need help are met.”

The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign pledge and ensure his Ministers meet with Hourglass to tackle abuse of older people.

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said: “With Safer Ageing Week looming, it is incredibly sad that the charity has had this vital meeting cancelled once again. This is not just disappointing; it is a dereliction of duty.

“We are seeing significant increases in calls to our helpline and casework referrals, yet the government still do not take this issue seriously. 

“The Violence Against Women and Girls strategy is designed to address this important issue. The criteria for VAWG funding applications will obviously be based on addressing violence against women and girls, not abuse of older people which needs a separate strategy and funding model.

“Support to stem sexual violence in the Ukraine was this week confirmed at £3.45 million with an additional £12.5 million to tackle sexual violence in conflict globally. These, like the equally essential child abuse and domestic abuse charities deserve this support, we are simply asking why are older people last in line? The £300k committed to date seems to underline how far towards the bottom of the list of priorities the 2.7m people affected by elder abuse seem to be.”

The charity confirms it will apply for Government funding from their newly announced VAWG grant scheme.

However, with the enormous pressures of the cost of living crisis and a huge spike in calls to the Hourglass 24/7 helpline, the organisation believes it needs to be at the heart of a Safer Ageing Strategy for older people.

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.