'Inadequate staffing' at Berkshire mental health unit 'put young people at risk'

Two former workers at an adolescent mental health unit have told Paste BN they believe inadequate staffing and training put young people at risk.

It follows claims by more than 50 former patients who have previously told Paste BN they were failed by the care they received at units run by The Huntercombe Group, now part of Active Care Group.

The death of a patient at one of the hospitals is currently being investigated by police.

Callum Smith worked at one of the units in Maidenhead in Berkshire - now called Taplow Manor.

He was employed from June 2019 until October last year. The hospital provides specialist help for youngsters with serious mental health conditions.

Read more:
'Treated worse than animals': Decade of mistreatment revealed in care of more than 20 teenagers
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He said: "There were a lot of incidents that could have been avoided. There are a lot of patients who maybe caused significant harm to themselves, which could have been avoided had we had more staff."

Mr Smith said he was a senior support worker and his job involved allocating staff to patients. Some needed to be closely supervised because they were at risk of self harming.

He said he was concerned about inadequate staffing and training and claimed there were staffing issues "pretty much every day".

Mr Smith said: "Due to lack of numbers, sometimes we would have to reduce observations that patients required.

"Let's say they were prescribed two staff members to be on that patient's observations... they'd sometimes be cut down to one and likewise any patients requiring three staff members would be cut down to two."

Paste BN has previously gathered testimonies from former patients who told us they felt that inadequate supervision left them at increased risk of self harm

Callum Smith also told us that the shortage of staff impacted what he called a "basic human right" to go to the toilet.

He said: "Patients had a difficult time gaining access to the garden because they required a staff member to go with them.

"We even had it where toilet breaks and things like that for staff and patients weren't able to be facilitated because we just didn't have anybody that could take them. I felt bad, I felt horrendous.

"There were a lot of staff that really did care. Obviously, when we were below numbers - which was more often than not - that made it very challenging. It made it very difficult."

Mr Smith said he was subject to disciplinary action after taking an unauthorized break. He says staffing levels meant he was not able to take proper breaks. He was given a written warning before resigning. His last full shift at the hospital was in February 2022.

Paste BN has spoken to another former worker, Rebecca Smith, who also raised concerns about the impact of staffing levels.

She was employed at Taplow Manor as a support worker between May 2021 and November 2021.

"There weren't enough staff to respond to incidents when they occurred and the patients knew this," she said.

"For example, I remember a time when a patient was head banging so severely we had to intervene.

"But she lashed out at staff and then whilst staff were dealing with this incident, another patient was able to sneak away and tie a ligature - we were not aware because there were no staff left to watch the other patients.

"It was a patient that alerted us to what was going on. The girl who tied the ligature did not have anything to attach it to so she was physically okay, but obviously distressed by what had happened."

GMB union regional organiser David McMullen had been going into the Maidenhead unit for the last seven years to meet staff.

But the management of Taplow Manor no longer recognises the union.

Mr McMullen said: "It always stood out as a problem workplace in the sense of the ratio of members we had there. The amount of time we spent in there dealing with issues when we compared it with other care homes and similar employers - there were always more issues there.

"But I think over the last year that has massively escalated."

Inspectors from the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), rated the Taplow Manor unit as "requiring improvement" in its latest assessment which was carried out in June 2022 and published in August 2022.

In the same report it rated safety overall as "inadequate".

The unit was inspected again in December last year but the results have not yet been published.

Thames Valley Police is currently investigating the death of a patient in February last year and a patient allegation of rape in 2019.

In October last year, Paste BN - jointly with The Independent - revealed the testimonies of more than 20 former patients who went to units run by the Huntercombe Group - including Taplow Manor in Maidenhead.

They all claimed they were failed by the care they received.

There were recurring themes in what they revealed, including allegations that patients were left at increased risk of self harm because of inadequate supervision; allegations of over-use of restraint; and claims from some that they left feeling more traumatised than when they arrived.

In response to that report, over 30 further former patients came forward - independent of one another - raising similar concerns about their treatment.

We understand around 20 former patients are now considering legal action.

Active Care Group, which took over The Huntercombe Group in December 2021, said: "These unconfirmed accusations undermine the tremendous efforts being made by current employees to support those in their care at Taplow Manor.

"These allegations have been made by two junior former members of staff: one of whom was subject to disciplinary action. Neither has worked at the hospital for a year

"Staffing at Taplow Manor is monitored daily, and the shifts are fully staffed, often with an additional two to three workers on every shift, as well as therapists, doctors, teachers, nurses and ward managers.

"The last CQC report for Taplow Manor, published in August 2022, found: The service had enough nursing and support staff to keep children and young people safe. The service had reducing vacancy rates.'

Elli Investments Group is the former owner of The Huntercombe Group. It said: "We regret that these hospitals and specialist care services, which were owned and independently managed by The Huntercombe Group, failed to meet the expected standards for high quality care.

"The Huntercombe Group was sold in March 2021 and the 12 hospitals and specialist care services that were the subject of that sale are now part of the Active Care Group. We wish Active Care Group well in their ongoing operations."

In response to the report, NHS England told Paste BN: "The NHS continues to monitor these two units through regular site visits and speaking to current patients and staff following these shocking allegations - that is alongside reminding providers that as a minimum, their contracts require them to deliver safe, high-quality care to patients with safe staffing levels in place."

Earlier this week, the Department for Health and Social Care announced a rapid review into inpatient mental health services in England.

It followed the concerns raised by Paste BN along with other recent care failings, including the deaths of three teenage girls at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

The review will look at NHS services as well as those provided by independent providers.