Firstly, we want to acknowledge that this conversation we had with Sarah, the mother of one of our current client Luke, was difficult to hear. The level of abuse that still exists in the care sector today is deeply upsetting.
As Sarah said, “This isn’t an easy conversation.”
We have hosted, and will continue to host, conversations like this to raise awareness of the failures within healthcare. The reality is that some stories are hard to hear, but impossible to ignore.
Our latest podcast, now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Amazon, shares Sarah’s story. A mother speaking about her son Luke, now supported by Komplex Community, whose life has been shaped by a system that repeatedly failed to protect him, support him, and listen to him.
Luke’s journey includes time spent at Winterbourne View, where he experienced abuse that shocked the nation and exposed serious failures in care provision.
But what came after is less widely spoken about, and in many ways, even more concerning.
Over the following years, Luke moved through 17 different placements in just 13 years.
Seventeen attempts to find the right support. Seventeen environments where stability should have been built, but too often was not. Each move meant starting again, rebuilding trust, relearning routines, and trying once more to be understood.
Because too often, the system focuses on placement rather than the person.
Sarah described just one example of what Luke experienced:
“He was repeatedly dragged out of his bed by his feet…and hosed down.”
Throughout all of this, she never gave up.
“We had no choice…you either cope and get on with it or you don’t.”
That fight to be heard is what eventually led her to Komplex Community.
There, she met Marie, Head of Operations, and that conversation became a turning point.
For the first time, it was not just about telling a story. It was about being listened to.
Marie and the wider Komplex Community team worked closely with Luke and his family to rebuild trust, stabilise support, and ensure his care was shaped around him as a person, not a placement.
As Sarah put it, “For the first time, we feel listened to.”
This episode is not easy listening. It is honest, raw, and deeply human.
But it matters.
Because it shows what happens when care is fragmented. When communication breaks down. When consistency is missing. And when individuals are moved through systems instead of being supported properly.
It also shows something more hopeful.
What becomes possible when care is done differently. When teams commit to consistency. When dignity is non-negotiable. When the person at the centre of care is truly seen, heard, and understood.
Luke’s story is not just about what went wrong.
It is about what must change.
This is why we created this podcast. To open up conversations that are often avoided, and to shine a light on both the reality and the responsibility of care.
We encourage you to listen, reflect, and share.
Because change does not start with systems alone.
It starts with awareness.
And the willingness to face uncomfortable truths.
This episode is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Amazon.