Whistleblowers left in tears

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SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS February 02, 2023 View in browser Morning all,   This week we published a third investigation into a group of private mental health hospitals. This was a big piece so I'll dive straight in. Chronic short staffing Last Friday we revealed the accounts of whistleblowers from private children's mental health hospital provider The Huntercombe Group.   For those of you who haven't read the previous investigations, read them here. To date they've uncovered more than 50 allegations of "systemic abuse" within the hospitals by children treated in them.   Following our investigations staff have come forward with their stories of the harm done by chronic short staffing.   Whistleblowers 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.     Ms Smith said: "Something that really stuck out to me in your article was the allegations of excessive force whilst tube feeding patients. I remember the first time in 2021 when I had to help with one of these restraints and I left the room and cried as soon as it finished. It was horrific for me so I can't even imagine what it was like for the patient."   One former staff member, Callam Smith, who worked at Taplow Manor Hospital from June 2019 to February 2022, said while there were good workers there, staffing was low "pretty much every day".   One former senior manager, who worked across the hospitals until 2020, told The Independent there was a "lack of oversight" from leaders, which they said led to serious safety issues being missed. They added: "I don't think they [in Maidenhead] had necessarily adequate staffing or leadership within the hospital.   "On one particular ward, they grouped the girls who were being continuously fed through nasogastric tubes in a kind of rota [for forced-feeding]. It was very, very distressing for them, not just for the patients but for the nursing staff as well … there were also very high levels of physical restraint."   Cultures such as the one described at Huntercombe do not form in a vacuum they often start with chronic short staffing which leads to unacceptable behaviours forming and becoming normalised.   As you will have read, the government has launched an independent rapid review of mental health services. There are fears the review will purely be a data exercise. If this is the case, and the key issue of workforce is neglected, then the review will not change a thing.   Are there any other providers we should be investigating? email me on rebecca.thomas@independent.co.uk Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our welcome offer when you join today. A win for transparency   Readers will remember how often The Independent has written about the "hidden" A&E waiting time figures. These figures show the real scale of 12 hour waits and the NHS has been avoiding putting them out regularly.   Several times over the last year we've exposed the figures following leaks. Most recently we revealed 12 hour trolley waits had reached 50,000 a week.   Finally this week, after an announcement from the government, NHS England have agreed to published the figures monthly.   Writing in The Telegraph, Steve Barclay health secretary said: "Too much of the debate about A&E and ambulance services is based on anecdotal evidence. I want NHS managers and the wider public to have access to the same facts from the front line, starting with publishing the number of 12-hour waits from the time of arrival in A&E from April."   The Royal College of Emergency Medicine's president Dr Adrian Boyle, who has been campaigning for the figures to be published, said it was a "huge win" for patients and staff.   A record fine    In 2021 The Independent exposed the failings of maternity services in Nottingham, where dozens of babies were found to have died.   An independent inquiry has since been launched and with cases set to reach 1,500 it could be the largest ever maternity scandal.    This week Nottingham University Hospitals Foundation Trust was fined a record six-figure sum for "gross failings" which led to the death of a baby just 23 minutes after her birth.   Wynter Sophia Andrews was starved of oxygen after she was born in 2019, while her mother Sarah was left in labour for four days before having an emergency caesarean.   The trust was ordered to pay £800,000 after a prosecution was brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the largest fine ever received following prosecution over maternity failings.   The district judge Grace Leong said there had been a "catalogue of failings" and detailed the "avoidable errors" which led to Wynter's death and devastating post-traumatic stress for her parents.   Wynter's parents, Sarah and Gary said: "Today's sentencing hearing has demonstrated the seriousness of the trust's failings towards Wynter and I. These criminal proceedings are designed to act as a punishment and a deterrent. No financial penalty will ever bring Wynter back.   "We thank the judge and recognise the delicate balance she made to impose this significant fine, which we hope sends a clear message to the trust managers that they must hold patient safety in the highest regard.   "Sadly, we are not the only family harmed by the Trust's failings. We feel that this sentence isn't just for Wynter, but it's for all the babies who have gone before and after her." What we're investigating... Here are just a handful of topics we're keen to take a closer look at, with your help: I'm keen to find new patient safety stories to follow. Please tell me the safety issues I should be tackling in the new year. Have you or a family member struggled to access eating disorder services? email rebecca.thomas@independent.co.uk Last year we highlighted failings at private mental health hospital the Huntercombe Group. Are there other units we should be looking at? email rebecca.thomas@independent.co.uk What you might have missed this week...  Further 1,500 patients of breast surgeon Ian Paterson to be recalled for investigation Sickle Cell: NHS staff 'failing to follow healthcare guidelines' Ambulances turning up to emergencies without life-saving drugs, damning report finds We noticed that you might not be registered By registering, you will enjoy limited access to Independent Premium articles, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists REGISTER FOR FREE Articles available exclusively to subscribers Why the government's new anti-strike law won't be in force any time soon, writes Sean O'Grady OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE Climate News Every Friday, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle Join now Simon Calder's Travel Week Every Friday, 7am (UK time) Written by Simon Calder Join now If you can spare a minute we'd love your feedback on our newsletters. 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