Staff suspended at mental health hospital

A number of staff have been suspended from a mental health hospital that has been at the centre of a safeguarding inquiry.

Earlier this year, the trust that runs Wotton Lawn, in Gloucester, referred itself to the county council for what is know as a section 42 investigation following safety concerns. One patient has told the BBC: "I didn't feel like anybody cared enough."

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust said it did not comment on "internal processes" but said it was improving services.

Gloucestershire County Council said it would not release details of the inquiry, which has now finished, because the information "could lead to patients being identifiable".

The BBC asked the council for a summary of the findings and recommendations that redacts any identifiable information but that was refused.

Warning: This article contains details of attempted suicide which some readers may find upsetting.

It is not known exactly how many staff have been suspended but the issue has affected how parts of the hospital are able to operate.

Abbey Ward, an 18-bed acute admission ward, has been closed since the middle of July due to staffing issues relating to the suspensions, sickness and other absences.

The BBC understands the ward is due to reopen fully soon.

A spokesperson for the trust said they were "currently improving" services and taking different actions including a "temporary reduction of bed capacity".

This, they said, would allow them to "focus on staffing levels, colleague development and environmental improvements".

However, there are still concerns from patients, families and staff about conditions in the hospital.

A former patient, who the BBC is calling Linda, was discharged from Wotton Lawn in the past year and said she did not feel safe there.

"I didn't feel like I was getting better, I didn't feel like anybody cared enough to help me wanna get better," she said.

Linda was honest about her mental health and the number of times she had attempted to take her own life.

She said it was easy to get dangerous items, like razor blades, onto the wards.

"I felt like some of the staff didn't care, so... you could just do what you wanted."

She said there were too many agency staff which affected the consistency of care and that the staff who were good were over-worked and in demand.

"They're always busy and the patients know who the best ones are to go to, so they're in high demand anyway," she said.

"But where they get short staffed, you see the good nurses flitting back here and everywhere... and not having time for the patients."

Members of staff at Wotton Lawn and with the trust have spoken about how stressed they have been.

One claimed some senior management were "shifting the spotlight" to others and that colleagues were being "thrown under the bus".

This was all having an effect on staffing levels with "exceptional staff" working under "huge stresses" and good staff leaving.

They said that they were not able to look after patients, families and staff and, as a result, "we cause harm" leaving "no guarantee the hospital is a safe place".

The BBC spoke to one man who had a vulnerable relative who spent time in Wotton Lawn.

He said they had attempted to take their own life on several occasions in the hospital.

Paul [not his real name] said the family member became "institutionalised" and he "hit a brick wall" when he tried to raise concerns.

"The real worry…is that these things keep happening," Paul said.

"I hope that, truly, patient safety will be given the proper looking into that it deserves."

Paul said it was "absolutely frightening" just how little support and therapy was given to address the reasons why patients were admitted in the first place.

He said: "I fear for staff. They do not seem to have enough numbers or skills to diffuse situations before they flare up into…violence.

"I fear for patients because the leadership is not listening. It's not listening to staff, it's not listening to patients, it's not listening to families."

In response to the claims raised, the trust said that it was working to "rebuild trust and confidence in the quality of care being provided".

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