Staff at a specialist eating disorder unit have been photographed sleeping when they should have been looking after patients who were at risk of harming themselves.
There were multiple "unsafe" incidents because of staff failings, according to whistleblowers.
Many seriously ill patients have told the BBC they felt their time on the unit had made their condition worse.
Schoen Clinic York said "where specific concerns have been raised, they have been fully investigated and addressed" but no "systemic issues" were found.
The unit closed on 27 August due to "low levels of referrals from across England to the service", according to the NHS. The company still runs a dementia unit in the same building.
The BBC spoke to nine former inpatients and five members of staff who said:
- Workers sleeping when they were meant to be monitoring vulnerable patients.
- Staff witnessing patients self-harming and not helping them.
- Patients with eating disorders served unhygienic food.
- Workers using triggering language such as "you're not skinny enough to be in here".
Day-to-day care at Schoen Clinic York's eating disorder service was mostly provided by nurses and healthcare assistants, which included agency staff.
Patients said while some were "hardworking" and "supportive", others had little experience with mental health issues and sometimes lacked compassion.
Source: BBC News, 29 September 2025
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