Police and CQC investigate serious incidents at trust

A series of concerns about serious incidents at a mental health trust are being investigated by the Care Quality Commission, with a referral also made to the police, HSJ has learned.

HSJ understands that various incidents at Black Country Healthcare Foundation Trust have been raised with the Care Quality Commission by whistleblowers.

According to a well-placed source, one of the alleged incidents involved alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour, and this has been referred to West Midlands police.

Other complaints are understood to include staff using mental health inpatients’ rooms to sleep in, and an information governance breach in which patient information was shared with members of staff who did not need to receive them. It is understood this was in an email raising patient safety concerns.

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Source: HSJ, 17 January 2023