A controversial NHS foundation that banned its female patients from using the toilet has been condemned by inspectors as “unacceptable” and called for major improvements.
The Quality of Care Commission (CQC) concluded that Essex University’s NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) partner university emergency rooms were inadequate after an investigation found that patients were also being denied access to gardens, bedrooms and bathrooms.
They also found instances of staff falling asleep while watching patients.
The inspectors made unannounced visits after the Trust informed CQC of a “scheduled broadcast” of classified films from Channel 4’s investigative program. broadcasts. They toured two wards providing both inpatient care and treatment for women, including several women who were imprisoned under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Seri Morris-Williams, Deputy Director of Mental Health CQC East of England, said: “Our review raised serious concerns about people’s safety. Personnel did not always follow the Foundation’s own policies regarding human sightings. Patients told inspectors that they saw employees fall asleep at work. Our inspectors reviewed the data and found two instances where employees were reported to be asleep during surveillance.
“We have also defined general restrictions prohibiting people from entering the gardens, bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets – this is unacceptable. Leaders must find ways to give people the basic freedoms they are entitled to while keeping them safe.
“We were so concerned that after the review, we told the Trust that if they did not reassure us that rapid improvements would be made in these departments, we would take enforcement action.”
The inspectors found a large number of vacancies in both departments with a large number of temporary workers who are unfamiliar with patients and their needs. At the time of the audit, the vacancy rate for registered nurses was 81 percent in one department and 56 percent in another. Managers relied heavily on the use of temporary workers to fill shifts.
The Trust has been warned to improve staffing, patient monitoring, general restrictions, securing patient consent, and incident logging and reporting.
CQC said it will continue to monitor the service and if necessary improvements are not made in a timely manner, it will not hesitate to take further action.
The mother of a teenager who was found hanged in an EPUT psychiatric hospital more than a decade ago said there was “no end in sight” to the foundation’s failure following the release of the revealing CQC report.
Melanie Leahy, whose son Matthew died in November 2012 at Linden Center, a safe mental health facility in Chelmsford, Essex, said “lives are lost” because illnesses like hers weren’t treated quickly enough. For the past 10 years, she has campaigned for a mandatory public inquiry into Essex’s psychiatric service.
Mrs Leahy said I: “I knew the news would come today and that’s why I always insisted on a legitimate public inquiry. [into Essex mental health service]. I don’t want anyone to forget that these cruel discoveries describe avoidable human suffering.
“Everything else has been tried. We have been forced to go straight through the torturous hell of an orderly process, instead of taking our word for it when we said less would not work. Lives have been lost in the meantime, and there is no end to it.” Visibility, because due process depends on how those being observed behave decently and present themselves honestly.
“Many traumatized families wait patiently to present critical evidence but are unable to do so until they are confident of the seriousness of a proper legal investigation. Having lost loved ones under the most difficult circumstances, we knew that nothing would happen without the full force of the law. And now our deputies are standing next to us and saying the same thing.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel, the Conservative MP for Witham, is among those backing Ms Leahy’s campaign. In November 2020, an investigation into the deaths of the mentally ill at the Linden Center over a 20-year period was announced. It has been extended to units across Essex following outrage from family members who have lost loved ones in NHS care.
Essex’s Independent Mental Health Inquiry is currently investigating the deaths of 2,000 patients, but the chairman is Dr. Geraldine Strathdee stated that this was hindered by the unwillingness of the staff to participate in the process. The Independent Inquiry does not have the power to compel witnesses – both current and former NHS employees – to come forward and testify under oath, as a statutory public inquiry would.
This is the largest UK mental health study to date, but Dr. Strathdee said it could never release valuable findings after just 11 out of 14,000 NHS staff said they would testify in person.
An EPUT spokesperson said: “Caring for our patients and their safety is our top priority and we applaud CQC’s support. Over the past two years we have made many improvements that benefit our patients, including spending £20 million to improve conditions in our departments to make them safer and more therapeutic, and working with our staff to improve their experience Support and care for people suffering from a mental crisis.
“We know there is still a lot of work to be done and we continue to make progress in partnership with the people who use our services, their families and caregivers.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.