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Colin Parish spoke exclusively to the two nurses who prompted an undercover investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme about what motivated them to complain about the regime at Winterbourne View hospital
Terry Bryan and Ashleigh Fox (pictured below) started working at the Winterbourne View hospital near Bristol last autumn. They both contacted the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about concerns they had over the treatment of patients at the hospital.
When Mr Bryan did not get a response from the CQC he contacted the BBC. The BBC Panorama programme, Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed, broadcast footage recorded by an undercover reporter working as a support worker that appeared to show staff physically and verbally abusing patients.
The hospital has now been closed by its owners Castlebeck, which has apologised for what it called 'the completely unacceptable and appalling behaviour of a small number of our employees'.
Mr Bryan, who has 30 years' experience as a learning disability nurse, blames the hospital's problems on poor recruitment processes, weak management and inadequate training, a conclusion that is backed up by Ms Fox, who was newly qualified when she started working at the hospital in September 2010.
Ms Fox, who qualified as a learning disability nurse at the University of the West of England in July 2010, says that when she reported her concerns to her managers she was told: 'This is "your issue". I was told...