LEARNING LESSONS WITH OPERATION JASMINE

More than 100 people involved in adult social care safeguarding across Mid and West Wales are attending a “Learning Lessons” workshop in Carmarthen as part of the recommendations following Operation Jasmine.

Gwent Police started Operation Jasmine which resulted in a £15-million investigation involving six care homes in the Caerphilly and Blaenau council areas leading to 52 of 74 suspects being arrested and 20 charged. There were no prosecutions because of the inadequacies of current legislation.

Dr Margaret Flynn who carried out an independent review on Operation Jasmine is looking for feedback by January 15, 2016, into a response into the Flynn Review –In search of Accountability : A review of the neglect of older people living in care homes.

To assist this aim, the Minister for Health and Social Services, Mark Drakeford, has called on all authorities to carry out “Learning Workshops” and those involving Mid and West Wales in a an event being hosted by the Mid and West Wales Health and Social Care Collaborative, at the Halliwell Centre on December 3.

Those attending will be drawn from councils, university health boards, commissioners,  home owners, the police, local councillors and third sector organisations.

Mr Drakeford said the press and media generally should play an important part in publicising workshops being carried across the six regional adult safeguarding boards in Wales “to recognise the role of the media in bringing the bleak of experience of older people in south east Wales to the foreground.”

Why was Operation Jasmine necessary?

Residents of some care homes in the Caerphilly County Borough and Blaenau Gwent County Borough (the vast majority of which are now in new ownership, free of any allegations of abuse) were subject to a widespread and sustained level of abuse which caused horrific injuries and premature deaths. The Gwent Police commenced an investigation under the code name of Operation Jasmine.

A summary of this operation reads as follows:

• Six care homes investigated in Caerphilly & Blaenau Gwent      County Boroughs.
• Of 74 suspects, 52 were arrested and 20 charged.
• A total of 75 police officers and staff worked on the case.
• There were 103 alleged victims, 63 were at different points in the      investigation considered as victims.
• Statements taken totalled 4,126.
• There were 10,534 exhibits.
• In all there were 9,222 pieces of documentation weighing      approximately 12.5 metric tonnes.
• Operation Jasmine cost £15-million
• Six test cases were considered to go before the Courts.

Why did Operation Jasmine Fail?

Despite the weight of evidence produced the Crown Prosecution Service failed to bring forward a prosecution, due to the inadequacies of current legislation, against the company and representatives of the care home. Subsequently proceedings by the Health and Safety Executive did not go ahead, but were ‘left on file’. There is a possibility that these could be re-instated sometime in the future.