2020 EXPOSING BRITAIN’S SOCIAL EVILS prize winner

Ian Birrell

Locked up & secretly abused by the NHS, Freelance (Mail on Sunday, I News, Tortoise)

This entry, informed by Ian’s family situation, exposed barbaric social evils taking place in the heart of our health system. It raises questions over the human rights of people with autism, learning disabilities and mental health problems – and poses questions about power abuses and state failures that lead to their needless, and sometimes fatal, incarceration. His campaign across several outlets has sparked five official inquiries and widespread debate.

Ian Birrell’s work is consistently of a high standard. He is fearless and rigorous, which are two of the qualities needed to win this prize. I have long been in awe of him and I hope this award will help highlight his work and bring it an even wider audience.” Iain Dale, Chair of Judges

 

Worse than BROADMOOR: Nurse whistleblower claims he has seen psychopathic serial killers cared for better than the autistic children he has witnessed being violently held down and force-fed drugs at health unit funded by the NHS (Daily Mail) 

Dire mental health provisions are costing the lives of vulnerable teenagers (I News)

The country that closed its psychiatric hospitals, Italy believes anyone can live freely, with the right support (Tortoise)