BBC Panorama captures a “toxic culture” of abuse at a Prestwich Hospital mental health unit.

Last night BBC Panorama aired the footage that undercover reporter, Alan Haslam, captured after spending three months working at The Edenfield Centre in Prestwich as a healthcare support worker.

The shocking footage showed staff mocking, slapping and pinching patients as well as them taunting and mocking patients in vulnerable situations.

Inappropriate restraint was commonly used showing patients in severe distress as well as locking up patients they regarded as “annoying” and “hard-work” into seclusion rooms for up to weeks at a time.

Staff were encouraged to fake paperwork that was supposed to ensure patient safety with Haslam himself agreeing to sign it so as not to reveal his true identity.

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust which runs Edenfield told Panorama it was taking the allegations “very seriously” and had taken “immediate actions to protect patient safety”.

A number of staff members have been suspended, and the trust said it was working with Greater Manchester Police, the independent healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.

The documentary filmed the families of patients reacting to their treatment as well as a consultant psychiatrist Dr Cleo Van Velsen and Prof John Baker, an expert in mental health nursing at the University of Leeds.

One patient who was regularly put into seclusion was Harley, who agreed to be named on the programme.

Harley has autism and was admitted to Edenfield due to self-harming.

In the programme she was filmed in the seclusion room on the phone to her sister Tiana saying she had been “tricked” and that “they like doing this to me, they’re doing this to break me”.

The footage then cut back to Haslam, who said: “She cried like I have never heard a person cry.

“I never want to hear a person cry like that again, it was awful.”

Harley’s mum Michelle commented on the footage saying: “Unfortunately we’ve had a few phone calls like that when she was there, but to be honest you wouldn’t do that to a dog would you.

“She’s autistic at the end of the day, that’s just awful.”

Patients held in seclusion are locked in a small bare room, usually without any possessions, with only occasional breaks in an adjoining room.

There is a window for natural light, but it doesn’t open.

There is no fresh air or access to the outside.

At one point a nurse is filmed saying staff wanted her kept in seclusion because staff "need a break from her.”

Dr Van Velsen said: "You cannot deprive somebody of their liberties because staff are fed up with her."

Staff told the BBC's undercover reporter that Alice (not her real name), a patient who they said had attacked staff, had been in seclusion for more than a year.

During one 30-minute break from seclusion, Alice spoke about her blanket and teddy bears, comforts which she had been allowed on a previous ward.

A support worker told her: “You’re lucky you’ve not got a straw f****** bed in there.”

She added: “If I was to run a place like this, they'd get straw bedding, eat it as much as you want, you're only gonna s*** it out and fertilise the garden.”

On another occasion, staff were filmed trying to give Alice her anti-psychotic medication twice, because there appeared to be a breakdown in communication.

Asked what would happen if she had too much of the drug, a nurse said: “She'd probably just die.”

Bury MPs and councillors have spoken out about the harrowing footage.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford tweeted about his anger after watching the documentary.

He said: “Having now watched the incredibly upsetting scenes in Panorama I am struggling to convey appropriately the anger I am feeling.

“I am committed to assisting any families affected by treatment of their relatives and would urge them to contact me.

“The disgusting treatment by some staff is unforgivable and must be investigated both independently & thoroughly.

“The patients of Edenfield have been failed.

“It is vital that there is justice for both them & their families and I will leave no stone unturned until they get it.”

Cllr Tamoor Tariq the Deputy Leader of Bury Council also tweeted last night saying: “This programme was a difficult watch. The allegations are unthinkable & extremely serious.

“We will work with partners and stakeholders to ensure appropriate action is taken to address these serious concerns.

“The mistreatment of Mental Health Patients is inhumane & unforgivable.”

The Bury Safeguarding Partnership, a multi-agency partnership said: “These are very serious allegations, and we are concerned by the findings Panorama has presented to us.

“We are conducting our own thorough investigations and will be taking appropriate action to address concerns.”

The BBC has reported the findings of its undercover investigation to hospital management and the Care Quality Commission, which regulates secure units.

Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust said senior doctors at the trust have undertaken clinical reviews of the patients affected and it had also commissioned an independent clinical review of the services provided at the Edenfield Centre.

They said: “We owe it to our patients, their families and carers, the public and our staff that these allegations are fully investigated to ensure we provide the best care, every day, for all the communities we serve.”

The Quality Care Commission said it was in contact with the trust and other agencies, including the police to ensure the safety of patients at Edenfield.

For anyone who missed the Panorama Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk, it’s available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

 

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