Ongoing Deficiencies in Swedish LSS Residences Highlighted in New Report

Serious shortcomings persist in Sweden's LSS residences, with a new report indicating that numerous warnings about deficiencies have been disregarded. The investigation, dubbed the "Report of Misery" by its authors, highlights a deeply concerning pattern of neglect and inadequate care within facilities designed to support individuals with functional impairments.

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Unfortunately, there has been a decay, especially in the last ten years.

The report, compiled by FUB (a national association for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities), documented 233 serious incidents reported to the Inspectorate for Healthcare and Welfare (Ivo) under Lex Sarah over the past two years. These incidents range from failures in basic care, such as hygiene, food, and medication, to instances of severe coercion, restraint, and even deaths resulting from neglect or mistreatment. FUB chairman Anders Lago described the report's content as "utterly deplorable."

Alarmingly, the report found that in nearly nine out of ten reported cases, deficiencies in care were present. This includes instances where planned interventions were never implemented. Lago stated, "Unfortunately, there has been a decay, especially in the last ten years." He also pointed to the issue of overmedication, suggesting it's used to manage residents when staff are insufficient.

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We see that there is overmedication generally to keep them 'calm' at the LSS residences, when the staff is not enough.

One particularly disturbing case detailed in the report involved a person with an intellectual disability found with a broken leg and covered in feces, with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. The individual was not provided breakfast and experienced self-harm due to the situation. Staff noted the operation was "incompetent" and that employees lacked the necessary foundational knowledge for proper training.

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The patient is naked from the waist down covered in feces, lying in their bed and has not been given any breakfast. The patient is not treated with low arousal and as a result of the situation self-harms until they bleed from the forehead. The patient also vomited the previous night, which cannot be ruled out as due to pain.

Lago concluded that a primary cause behind these failings is often low staffing levels and inadequate staff expertise. The report suggests that in half of the incidents later reported to Ivo, there were previously known issues that the facilities had failed to adequately address. Approximately 30,000 adults reside in LSS group and service homes in Sweden.

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Supervisors describe the operation as incompetent.