Organisational abuse and Discriminatory Abuse

Organisational abuse typically occurs in a care home, nursing home, acute hospital, or in the patient's home setting.

The abuse occurs where the rules and regimes become oppressive and abusive towards the residents, or individuals being supported

Organisational abuse can be in the form of:

• Lack of choice
• Lack of privacy
• Lack of respect
• Lack of dignity

Organisational abuse indicators include:

• Low staffing levels
• Lack of staff training or low staff morale
• Poor treatment of the residents or individuals
• Staff ordering residents or individuals around
• Opening mail, controlling phone calls, or restricting visitors
• Providing no stimulation or interaction
• Discriminatory abuse, harassment or treating people differently as a result of their age, sex, sexuality, language, culture or religion, politics, hair colour, environment, disability, fashion or just about anything.

Discrimination abuse indicators are observing:

• Racial harassment
• Isolation due to language barriers
• Ignorance due to a person’s cultural, dietary, or religious beliefs
• Deliberate isolation due to a person’s size, sexuality or similar
• Distasteful personal remarks.