Whistleblowers claim children ‘seriously harmed’ at scandal-hit mental health hospitals

Children came to “significant” harm due to chronically low staffing levels at scandal-hit mental health hospitals, whistleblowers have said.

In a third exposé into allegations of poor care at private hospitals run by The Huntercombe Group, former employees have claimed that staffing levels were so low “every day” that patients were neglected, resulting in:

• Patients as young as 13 being force-fed while restrained.
• Left alone to self-harm instead of being supervised.
• Left to “wet themselves” because staff couldn’t supervise toilet visits.

One staff member, Rebecca Smith, said she was left in tears after having to restrain and force-feed a patient.

Following a series of investigations by The Independent and Sky News, 50 patients came forward with allegations of “systemic abuse” and poor care, spanning two decades at children’s mental health hospitals run by the organisation.

The government has since launched a “rapid review” into inpatient mental health units across the country following the newspaper’s reporting.

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Source: The Independent, 28 January 2023