Patients commit suicide under watch

Published on Sunday 19 July 2009 14:36

More than a third of mental health patients who hung themselves were supposed to be being kept under observation, according to a report published today.

The report, from the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC), found 39% of patients who hung themselves on mental health wards between 2001 and 2008 were meant to be watched at intervals of 15 minutes or less.

It reported one suicide where the body of a patient who was meant to be observed every 15 minutes showed signs of rigor mortis, which is not usually noticeable until around three hours after death, when they were found.

Researchers also found some staff restrained patients without proper training.

Inquests into the deaths of three patients who died while being treated under the Act in 2008 found a lack of training and staff knowledge contributed to their deaths.

Barbara Young, the chairman of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which has taken over MHAC's role, said: "I am concerned about the safety and quality of care provided to some people who are detained. These are some of the most vulnerable people for which the NHS is responsible.

We have got to ensure that services meet their needs more effectively.

"There is lots of good practice out there, but this report shows where change is most needed. We want to see change happen much faster than in the past. We have a range of new powers and we are fully prepared, where necessary, to use them to drive up standards."

The report also found that on some mixed wards women are subject to regular harassment and said they felt unsafe.

Chief Executive of mental health charity MIND, Paul Farmer, said: "This report highlights some astounding failings in delivering even the most basic level of care. When a ward fails to provide a safe and secure place where people can receive good quality therapeutic treatment, the whole purpose of the ward is thrown into question. They can become a place of neglect rather than recovery.

"It's clear that staff on some wards are stretched to the limit, so much so that it makes patient observation a physical impossibility. There is also a worrying lack of basic training, particularly with restraint procedures, jeopardising patient safety with potentially fatal consequences."