How a vulnerable man was failed by his carer – and what it says about a system at breaking point
Ben watched nervously as the carer led his vulnerable brother Simon out of their flat and onto the busy London street.
The short walk to the coffee shop was a highlight of Simon’s day and it was the carer’s job to make sure he enjoyed his usual hot chocolate and a warm brownie safely.
Simon, not his real name, is 28 and autistic. He also has epilepsy and psychosis. He cannot do anything for himself and has no sense of danger.
The brothers have forged a strong bond ever since their mother died of cancer in 2020, but Ben’s life has been on hold ever since.
He has had to quit his career in finance to look after Simon’s every need; washing, clothing, feeding him. Making sure he is safe.
And as the front door swung closed, Ben texted the carer one more time, to be on the safe side.
“Make sure to always stay close to him, especially when crossing the street,” he wrote.
The double tick of the WhatsApp message turned blue and the carer started typing. “Okay,” he replied.
But it would not be okay.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Health secretary challenged by Sky News over social care
The person Ben had entrusted with his brother, the person whose job it was to care for him, failed him that day.
This is the story of what happened to Simon and what it might tell us about a social care industry in crisis, where councils are struggling to cope with demand – overspending by millions of pounds each year – and where the race to make savings could be putting vulnerable people at risk.
“There was knock on the door. Quite a frantic knock,” said Ben, recounting the events of that day in May.
“I went downstairs and realised it was Simon. He was sweating, huffing and puffing. Really upset. I looked into his eyes and could see that he was in a kind of sensory overload. I knew something was wrong.”
Simon walked home alone and arrived looking ‘really upset’, his brother says
The carer was nowhere to be seen.
Simon, who should never be left alone, was right there on the doorstep. Alone.
Ben picked up his phone and messaged the carer. There was no reply. Then a few minutes later, the phone rang. It was the carer, sounding in a panic.
“Hello,” said Ben.
“I’m having an issue,” the carer said. “I went to the loo and asked him [Simon] to sit down and wait for me to come back.”
Ben could not believe what he was hearing. The carer had left Simon on his own in a busy coffee shop.
The carer continued: “I’ve searched everywhere.”
Ben said his brother wandered off when he realised no-one was with him. He left the coffee shop and turned onto the busy street.
Now completely alone, he crossed a busy road, with cars and buses all around him.
Then he walked alone for 15 minutes until he reached home.
Ben had so many questions, but in the months ahead he would struggle to get answers from the council and the care agency that supplied the carer.
Ben has struggled to get answers from the council and care provider
Back in March 2024, Ben was told he could have a carer for 25 hours per week to help shoulder the pressure of looking after his brother.
His local authority, Camden Council, paid a provider called Hartwig Care.
Both Camden Council and Hartwig knew how vulnerable Simon was. It was all set out in a series of reports outlining his needs.
‘He could have been killed’
The first report was written by a social worker at the council, clearly stating Simon has “no road safety awareness and is at risk of wandering into the road if left unsupervised”.
The second report, written by a consultant neurologist, added: “Due to his cognitive disability, autism and epilepsy, he is not able to be alone without supervision.”
But on 1 May, the day the pair walked into the coffee shop, the carer sat Simon down and told him to stay where he was.
He then left him alone to go to the toilet, but when he returned Simon was nowhere to be seen.
It was a serious incident that Ben believes could have led to injury or even the death of his brother and calls into question the judgement and experience of the carer, who was costing the council £150 per day.
“The council said they would have to do an investigation. But I heard nothing back from the council,” said Ben.
The council apologised and says it did a safeguarding review over the incident. Pic: iStock
A spokesperson for Camden Council said: “We would like to apologise to the resident and their family for the distress that this incident caused.
“Following this happening, we immediately began a safeguarding review with Hartwig to understand exactly what had happened and what they would do to ensure an incident like this does not happen in the future.”
Ben says: “The quality of care did not match the price that that they charged. And it just speaks to the greater issue about care in this country.”
A spokesperson for Hartwig Care said: “Due to client confidentiality, it is our policy not to provide comments on specific incidents involving our service users.
“However, we want to emphasise that client safety is always paramount in our service provision.”
Providers struggling to cope
Social care is at breaking point. Any council or care provider will tell you that.
The government knows it, which is why they have said they will reform social care and introduce a new National Care Service.
But the timetable for reform is unclear, despite councils appealing for more funding.
A staggering 81% of councils say they expect to overspend on their adult social care budgets this year, following a poll carried out by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care Services.
Nearly half (48%) of homecare providers say they cannot cope with current demand on services, according to the Homecare Association.
This could go some way to explain why complaints about adult social care, to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, have risen by a fifth since 2013.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock says reforming social care will not be a quick process
Care minister Stephen Kinnock addressed delegates at the annual Children and Adult Social Care Conference in Liverpool recently.
He said the government was committed to reforming social care, but warned: “I’m not going to promise that change can be delivered overnight.”
The government knows social care reform will cost billions not millions at a time when public finances are in a fragile state.
Mr Kinnock told Sky News: “When we won the general election on the 4th of July, we inherited the worst fiscal environment since the Second World War. And so action has to be taken to get the public finances onto a stable footing.”
I suggested the government didn’t have the money to deliver on its promise to reform social care.
He said: “Until we fix the public finances we are not going to be in a position to invest properly in our public services. We’ve got to take it one step at a time.”
Government plans ‘unrealistic’
Melanie Williams, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care, described the government’s plan as “unrealistic” but said she remains “hopeful”.
She said the chancellor’s plan to hike national insurance contributions for employers would cost the social care sector and estimated £1.8bn.
“Providers have told us that they’re considering handing back services and some are saying they may have to exit the business,” she said.
Melanie Williams says some care providers might be forced to quit the industry
“We know that reform will be expensive and require a long-term investment over time. But we need to make those small investments to get there.
“It is a big concern that there are so many priorities for government to face that they won’t be able to afford the changes.”
Read more from Sky News:
The bizarre story of a fake carer
Social care services for thousands ‘under threat’
Camden Council and Hartwig Care investigated the incident with Simon, but his brother Ben was not given a copy of the findings.
The council said the report had not been published online because the incident was “not serious enough”.
In August, Ben enlisted the help of a pro bono lawyer through a local disability charity who lodged a formal complaint with the council over its handling of the incident.
The council replied on 28 August and rejected the complaint, saying “the issues you have raised fall outside of our formal complaints process”.
Ben has been left with more questions than answers.
“I just want to know what happened and have confidence in knowing that it cannot happen again,” he says. “But I have been kept totally in the dark.”
The families of the British couple killed in the Lisbon funicular crash have said they are “heartbroken” as they paid tribute to them.
Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, died alongside 14 others in Wednesday’s incident, including another British victim who has not yet been named.
Ms Smith graduated from the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, where Mr Nelson ran the master’s degree in directing.
In a statement shared by Cheshire Police, Ms Smith’s family said: “Kayleigh was loved by family and friends for her wit and humour, her kind and caring nature came to the fore in her work as a funeral operative.
“She was also a talented theatre director and had just completed a Master’s Degree. They both leave family and friends heartbroken.”
Mr Nelson’s younger brother, who was not named in the statement, added: “Words cannot begin to describe how our family and friends are feeling right now but here is the best attempt. This week, due to a tragic accident in Lisbon, Portugal, we lost Will Nelson, who was not just my big brother but everyone’s.
“He was always kind, selfless, and protective, and the world does not feel right or normal without him. He was and has always been my hero, and we will miss you always. Love you, rest in peace you legend.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘We felt no brakes anymore’
MADS theatre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, said Ms Smith was a “valued member of our society” who will be “greatly missed”.
It said she was an award-winning director and actress, who had also done multiple crew and front-of-house roles.
Macclesfield MP Tim Roca paid tribute to Ms Smith, saying she was a “hugely talented theatre director” who “poured her creativity, energy and kindness into every production”.
Mr Nelson was “equally dedicated to nurturing creativity and inspiring the next generation” and “his loss will be felt deeply by colleagues and students alike”, the MP added.
Hours before the crash, Ms Smith posted pictures on Instagram of their first day in Lisbon with the caption: “Churches and castles, tiles and trams.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lisbon crash: What happened?
Five Portuguese citizens died when the packed carriage plummeted out of control – four of them workers at a charity on the hill – but most victims were foreigners.
Police said the other fatalities were two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French citizen, one Swiss and one Ukrainian.
All but one were declared dead at the scene – and 21 others in the packed carriage were injured.
The yellow carriages of the Gloria funicular are a big draw for tourists, as well as a proud symbol of the Portuguese capital.
The journey is just 265m (870ft) up a steep hill and takes three minutes, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions on a linked cable.
Read more:
Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London
Man killed in shark attack after screams of ‘don’t bite me’ heard
Witnesses reported seeing one of the carriages hurtle down the hill before derailing and crashing 30m from the bottom.
The aftermath shows it crumpled and twisted against the side of a building.
People who were in the bottom carriage said they were a few metres into the climb when it started going backwards.
When they saw the other car speeding towards them, many jumped through the windows to escape.
The crash happened around 6pm on Wednesday. Pic: Reuters
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called the crash “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past” and authorities are under intense pressure to quickly identifying the cause.
One witness who was in the lower carriage told Sky’s Europe correspondent Alistair Bunkall that the brakes appeared to fail.
The carriage’s brakeman, Andre Marques, has also been confirmed among the dead.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘I screamed, we’re all going to die’
Officials said the streetcar, which has been running since 1914, had a half-hour visual inspection every day and underwent full maintenance last year.
The line links the downtown area near Restauradores Square with Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighbourhood.
A preliminary technical report due on Friday has now been delayed until Saturday. Another report with a broader scope is expected within 45 days.
Three other funicular lines in Lisbon have been suspended.
Nigel Farage has confirmed he wants to deport women asylum seekers back to the Taliban in Afghanistan if he becomes prime minister.
The Reform UK leader’s position on the topic has not been clear, with him previously saying he wouldn’t send women back to the fundamentalist regime that took over after western militaries withdrew, before now saying he would.
Mr Farage was speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham.
Politics live: Govt responds to Farage wanting early election
When asked if he would “detain” women and children and “send them back”, the Clacton MP said “yes”.
Challenged on when he said in August that he was not “discussing” women and children, Mr Farage claimed this was a reference to his desire to see men detained on arrival in the UK.
At the time, he said he was “very, very clear” on the “deportation of illegal immigrants”, adding: “We are not even discussing women and children at this stage – there are so many illegal males in Britain, and the news reports that said that after my conference yesterday were wrong”.
Speaking today, Mr Farage claimed that the UK has a “duty of care” to a child if, for example, a four-year-old arrives in a dinghy – but not to women and men.
“For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” Mr Farage went on.
“Children, we’ll have to think about.”
Read more:
Is Reform really now a government in waiting?
Fact-checking Farage: Are foreigners more likely than Britons to commit sexual offences?
Nigel Farage speaks to Beth Rigby at Reform’s 2025 conference
‘No one’ can prevent small boats crossing the Channel
The Reform leader also rowed back on his pledge to stop all boats within two weeks if he is elected prime minister.
Speaking to the conference yesterday, Mr Farage said: “You cannot come here illegally and stay – we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
But speaking to Beth Rigby today, he changed tack – saying “the passing of legislation” would be required.
He said only then would the boats be stopped within two weeks, or sooner In the interview with Rigby, Mr Farage tried to claim he did not say he would end the boats within two weeks of “winning government”.
But the video of his speech, as well as the transcript released by Reform UK, clearly show him saying: “We will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
When asked why he wouldn’t be able to follow through with his initial claim, Mr Farage said it was impossible and that “no one” can prevent them crossing the Channel.
The Reform UK leader said the law he wants to introduce will be called the Illegal Migration Act once it is passed by parliament.
He confirmed his agenda includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, shutting down asylum hotels and housing people at RAF bases instead, as well as deporting Channel migrants.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch Farage face questions on his tax affairs
Read more on Sky News:
Flares thrown at migrant hotel
Labour plans to overhaul ‘broken’ asylum system
Mr Farage also claimed that deportation flights would also begin within two weeks of the law changing, and this combination of factors would stop people from wanting to travel from France.
This strategy all depends on Reform UK winning the next general election – which Labour does not have to call until 2029.
However, the Reform leader says he believes the government will collapse in 2027 due to economic pressure and other factors.
Reform are currently well clear of Labour and the Conservatives in the polling, and are targeting next year’s Welsh, Scottish and English local elections to try and win more power in councils and national assemblies.
Clashes have broken out at a protest for Palestine Action in London as police reveal they have made around 150 arrests.
The Metropolitan Police said officers had been “subjected to an exceptional level of abuse” at the Westminster protest, including “punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown”.
It added some protesters had been both physically and verbally abusive in a “coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties”, and that a number of the arrests were made for assault.
Officers were seen drawing their batons while demonstrators took action in support of the proscribed terror organisation.
One man was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested, while the crowd was heard chanting “shame on you” and “you’re supporting genocide”.
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Tense scenes on the western side of Parliament Square saw several protesters fall over in a crush while water was thrown at officers.
The Met Police announced the first arrests of the day on X just 12 minutes after the protest’s official start time.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch moment police carry several protesters away
The protest’s organiser, Defend Our Juries, said it estimated 1,500 had gathered for the rally, where many of them held signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
In an update early on Saturday evening, the Met said: “Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
It had warned before the protest that “expressing support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act”.
“Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests,” it said.
A protester is carried away by police in Parliament Square. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries claimed the rally had been “the picture of peaceful protest” and that the Met Police’s statement about its officers being abused was an “astonishing claim”.
“I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen any violence or aggression from anyone,” they said. “I’ve only seen aggression and violence from the police.”
Palestine Action has been banned as a terror group since 5 July after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move proposed by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, making it illegal to express support for the group.
Read more:
Farage wants to deport women asylum seekers back to Taliban
Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to ‘humanitarian area’
The ban on the group came shortly after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.
More than 530 people were arrested at the last major demonstration against Palestine Action being banned as a terror group. However, the Met Police used “street bail” to avoid having to process them all in custody.
Street bail allows officers to release suspects on bail before they are taken to a police station. The suspect receives a bail notice requiring them to return to a station at a future date instead.
The organisers encouraged protesters not to accept street bail during today’s demonstration, writing in a briefing document before they started: “It will not be practically possible for the police to arrest 1,000 non-compliant people on the same day, and that is the strategic rationale behind non-compliance. It increases pressure on the state.”
In a reference to the advice in the briefing document, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Sky News the move would be “misguided”.
It faces a legal challenge in November after the High Court granted a full judicial review to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024