Disabled man eating from bin caught on film in 'appalling' neglect by British care company

The ITV investigation revealed multiple cases of neglect across facilities in England.

In one shocking instance, camera footage showed a young man with learning disabilities eating from a rubbish bin in the middle of the night.

In another case, a man with Down's Syndrome developed a severe foot infection which turned his foot black after being left undetected for weeks.

Lifeways provides care for more than 4,000 people with complex conditions across England, Scotland and Wales.

Lindsay Foskett installed a camera in her son Connor's flat after becoming concerned about his care at a Lifeways facility in Coventry.

Connor, 23, has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, autism and bipolar disorder, which requires 24-hour one-to-one care costing £4,700 weekly.

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"Within three days, we saw five members of staff neglecting and abusing him," Lindsay said.

Footage showed Connor eating from a bin for almost an hour on January 10, 2024.

"It hurts to watch it," Lindsay told ITV News. "We had to take him to the GP to get a full check up because he couldn't tell us what he had eaten."

Other footage showed carers sleeping while on duty and ignoring Connor's attempts to communicate.

Steven Baskin, 47, who has Down's Syndrome, was also allegedly neglected while under Lifeways care in North London.

His father John discovered Steven's foot had turned black during a hospital visit in 2019.

"I was absolutely shocked. I called the hospital staff and they were shocked as well. Nobody at Lifeways had thought to remark on it or notify anyone," John said.

Steven gained significant weight and lived in poor conditions with "rotting food" and "filthy and dirty" surroundings, his father said.

When asked about his experience, Steven said: "I didn't like it. The staff were nasty, the way they talked to me. They tried to kill me, that's how I feel."

Former and current Lifeways staff said that homes were consistently understaffed. Many reported having minimal or no training to provide personal care for people with complex needs.

One whistleblower, who worked as a care home manager, claimed staffing levels were "dangerous" at weekends. "You would get in so much trouble if you booked agency workers, even if people called in sick," she said.

The whistleblower added: "The money from the local council was probably going in Lifeways' pocket, because if we were receiving it we would have been able to give (the residents) a much better quality of life.

"The residents are just a number to them, they don't care about the person's name or need."

Analysis shows Lifeways has received almost £1.5 billion in taxpayer-funded contracts with local councils and the NHS since 2016. The company's revenue increased to £295 million in 2024.

Care Quality Commission data reveals that 63 per cent of Lifeways services inspected in 2024 were rated "Requires Improvement", the second-lowest rating.

A Freedom of Information request found the CQC received 366 safeguarding alerts or concerns about Lifeways services in 2024, a 33 per cent increase from 2023.

According to Lifeways' financial statements, their four directors received total annual pay of £1.6 million, with the highest paid director receiving £923,000.

Meanwhile, Lifeways advertises support worker roles paying £11.44 per hour - the minimum wage for over 21s.

Lifeways CEO Andrea Kinkade said: "It's absolutely appalling to hear those stories and to hear about anybody who receives neglectful care or lack of care. I think it is absolutely shameful."

She claimed the situations were "historic" and dealt with "robustly" at the time.

"We deliver 3 million care hours a year with 10,000 employees. Thankfully, this is rare. It is awful, but it is rare."

James Bullion from the Care Quality Commission said: "We will be monitoring the services provided by Lifeways closely and will take further action if we find evidence that the provider has not made all necessary changes to ensure that people receive good, safe, supportive care."