Staff have been phoning prostitutes who meet residents in a special room. A red sock is put on the door handle so they are not disturbed.
The arrival of sex workers at Chaseley, a nursing home caring for 55 people in Eastbourne, East Sussex, is known there as a “special visit”. Care workers said the “sex surrogates” were “therapeutic” and experts claim they are a “basic human right”.
But East Sussex County Council has launched an investigation into possible “exploitation and abuse” of vulnerable people.
Sue Wyatt, Chaseley’s manager, confirmed prostitutes were welcomed but said staff no longer made the calls to them directly.
Mrs Wyatt said: “People have needs, so sometimes we might need to set up a room in a certain way. We are there to help.
“We use a private consultant who arranges everything. She puts people in touch with people. We respect our residents as individuals so that’s why we help this to happen.”
The “sex surrogacy” – which is the subject of a new Hollywood film The Sessions – was revealed by the home’s former manager Helena Barrow. She said: “Sex workers are allowed by law to sexually enable people but care workers are not.
“If someone asked, we’d often call in a professional. It’s known as a resident’s ‘special visit’. We’d help them with the phone, dial the number, or use the computer to contact someone. If we refused, we would not be delivering a holistic level of care.”
Mrs Barrow, who now manages another care home, in St Leonards, East Sussex, said residents always paid for the call girls themselves. Staff would put a “special red sock” on the door handle. Once, strippers were invited to perform a “special show” for residents, she said.
Chaseley houses a mix of residents whose places are funded by private arrangements or social services.
A council spokesman said they had been unaware of Chaseley’s policy and “did not welcome” it. He said: “This has the potential to place vulnerable East Sussex residents at risk of exploitation and abuse.”
Chailey Heritage Foundation, which works with the Sexual Health and Disability Alliance, who campaign for disabled people to be allowed access to sex workers, helped Chaseley develop its policy. Denise Banks of the Foundation said: “If someone asked us to contact a sex worker for them, we would have to be open to that. If we resisted we would be going against the Human Rights Act.”
Dr Tuppy Owens, of the Sexual Health and Disability Alliance, said: “Many disabled people are living in perpetual frustration. If someone wants to access a sex worker they should be allowed to do that.”
But Nick Tapp, chief executive of East Sussex Disability Association, said: “There’s always an issue of risk which is for local authorities and health authorities to look into.”
Source: Express
