A 10-minute long feature on yesterday’s Today programme  (Radio 4, 17th June) investigated Scope’s proposals to close up to 13 residential care homes.

It started with a report by BBC reporter Zoe Conway of her visit to a residential home under threat, Hampton House in Northampton, to interview learning-disabled residents, their carers and parents. It concluded with a studio debate between Rosa Monckton who continues to campaign against the closures, and Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of Scope. Listen to the programme and draw your own conclusions on who ‘won the argument’.

     

Go to the BBC Today catch-up page http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046kwps

The relevant section was just after the 7:30 news, and runs from elapsed-time-mark 1:34:20  to 1:44:28.

The programme will only be available to ‘hear again’ for 7 days after broadcast. If we can subsequently obtain a transcript, we will post it here.

Note: In an article in the Guardian on 21st April, entitled ‘Scope is turning its back on disabled people like my sister’, Beverly Angell described the effect of the closure proposals on residents and their relatives: “The high level of distress, fear and confusion is palpable, not only for all the residents who will be directly affected, but also their families”. For an ‘official’ explanation of Scope’s policy, see the statement by its spokesman Mark Atkinson posted as a comment/reply to the article. Other comments on the other hand express anger and outrage…