The Ely Hospital scandal broke in 1967 after allegations were reported via the pages of a national newspaper. Claims of ill-treatment of patients and pilfering by staff at the Cardiff hospital were made by a nursing assistant at the hospital to the News Of The World.
The public outrage of these allegations led to the setting up of a committee of inquiry, which was to be chaired by Geoffrey Howe, QC, who later became Chancellor of the Exchequer and Deputy Prime Minister to Margaret Thatcher. The eventual publication of its findings would ultimately change the care of those with learning difficulties.
