‘It just felt like they’d given up on me’: 30 new patients of Huntercombe Group tell their stories of what life is like at mental health units
Thirty new patients have contacted Sky News following our investigation into the treatment of teenagers in mental health units run by a single provider.
They include a 16-year-old boy whose mother told us her son’s self-harming increased.
Rachel Vickers said of her son Tyson: “He looked like he’d been in a car crash”, and Tyson Vickers added: “It just felt like they’d given up on me.”
In October, Sky News revealed serious allegations of failures in care from more than twenty former patients at units run by The Huntercombe Group, now part of Active Care Group.
Content warning: this article contains references to self-harm
Since then, we’ve been contacted by dozens more former patients independently of one another.
They’ve made further claims over concerns such as the overuse of restraint and inadequate supervision, allegedly leaving patients at increased risk of self-harm.
In response to our joint investigation with the Independent, the Department for Health has described the further allegations of mistreatment as “deeply concerning”.
Sixteen-year-old Tyson Vickers is one of a raft of new patients who’ve come forward in response to our initial investigation.
Sixteen-year-old Tyson Vickers is one of a raft of new patients who’ve come forward in response to our initial investigation
He spent two months in the Maidenhead unit from the beginning of March this year – he says during his time there he felt “like a lost cause in the mental health system”.
Tyson told us he went into the unit because “I couldn’t keep myself safe”. But he says he didn’t receive the specialist intervention he was expecting.
His mother Rachel said: “I could see that he was getting a lot worse. We were seeing much more self-harm – erratic behaviour that was leading to him needing to be restrained, which we hadn’t had to do at home. It was dawning on me that he wasn’t being looked after.
“He had cuts on his arms. He was bandaged up on both arms. He had a huge black eye. I mean, he looked like he’d been in a car crash.”
Read more:
Calls for ‘rapid’ review of inpatient mental health care following Sky News investigation
Tyson is autistic and transgender. It’s not easy talking about his time at the unit. He said he would ask staff to “refer to me as a male and by the name Tyson with “him” pronouns.
“But sometimes they’d just mess up, and you could tell they didn’t actually respect it”.
Tyson says he gets “flashbacks” from his experiences. He says “just thinking about everything I went through there” makes him tearful when discussing it.
Tyson says: “I was struggling a lot. It just felt like they’d given up on me. I’m not going to get better. I just felt like I couldn’t be helped in any way. I was just sort of like a lost cause in the mental health system.”
Blood on the walls of one of the bedrooms at a facility run by The Huntercombe Group
“I was told by one staff member I would never get out, that I was just going to be stuck there forever and I couldn’t get help.”
Our original investigation revealed allegations stretching back more than a decade.
There were recurring themes such as the overuse of restraint and lack of staffing and observation to keep patients safe.
The 30 new patients who’ve come forward were inpatients at the units from 2003 – the majority were admitted from 2018.
They all got in touch with us independently of one another.
A patient who wants to remain anonymous, and who was in the Maidenhead unit between 2018 and 2019, told us she is now unable to live independently, which she believes is due to the trauma from her experiences.
This is how she describes her life now after her time at the unit: “I have pretty much daily seizures, walking difficulties, tics and more.
“My mum is my full-time carer as I cannot be on my own due to this. I cannot live independently.”
Another patient, who also wants to remain anonymous, and was admitted to the Maidenhead unit in 2020, shared photographs of injuries to her legs and knuckles which she says were sustained during restraints.
Another patient, who wants to remain anonymous, and was admitted to the Maidenhead unit in 2020
Another patient, who wants to remain anonymous, and was admitted to the Maidenhead unit in 2020, shared photographs of injuries to her legs and knuckles which she says were sustained during restraints
She said: “Sometimes when they were trying to get me in holds, they would swing me round really hard and I would fall into the wall so I would get bruised knuckles.
“Every single day I was getting bruises all over my body.”
Another patient shared pictures she says are of blood on the walls of her room. She told us she was left alone “for hours” to self-harm.
In 2019 Mae, who is 21 now, was an inpatient at Huntercombe’s Stafford unit.
She said: “I wouldn’t be asked to walk to the clinic for a feed, I would just be picked up and dragged there”.
In 2019 Mae, who is 21 now, was an inpatient at Huntercombe’s Stafford unit
Mae describes feeling like an “animal” in the unit and claims she was “dragged around, locked out of my room, bruised, constantly shouted at and verbally abused.
She said: “I had no autonomy or say in my own care or my own body.”
Ami was in the Maidenhead unit between April 2020 and December 2021.
Now aged 18 she says she wasn’t allowed out of her room for six weeks after an episode of self-harm.
She said when her underwear was taken off so she could be put into anti-ligature clothing, there was a male member of staff in the room.
She said: “I was embarrassed and felt assaulted. It really went past all my boundaries.”
Ami’s mother Rebecca Hinton told us: “We felt helpless, alone, like our voices just fell into a dark well, scared, desperate.”
Separate to our investigation, we’ve learned the first steps have been taken by solicitor Mark McGhee towards legal action against The Huntercombe Group. He’s currently representing nine former patients.
His cases include the family of a young former patient who claims they were raped by a member of staff at the Maidenhead unit.
Thames Valley Police has confirmed they are investigating the allegation.
Ami was in the Maidenhead unit between April 2020 and December 2021. Now aged 18 she says she wasn’t allowed out of her room for six weeks after an episode of self-harm
Mr McGhee said: “This is systemic failure and it’s gross systemic neglect. This hospital was responsible for some of the most vulnerable individuals within our society
“All of these individuals have been profoundly affected in terms of the abuse that they’ve sustained. And it is going to affect the rest of their lives.”
Active Care Group took over Huntercombe in December 2021.
A spokesperson for Active Care Group said: “We are very sad and concerned to hear about these patient experiences and allegations of poor care, a handful of which relate to time in our care…our policies and clinical interventions are in line with national guidelines and best practice; the care of our patients is our top priority.”
“All complaints are investigated and those meeting thresholds for CQC (Care Quality Commission) and safeguarding are reported as required. We are also pleased to receive positive feedback from many young people and their families.”
Read more
‘Blood on the walls’: Investigation reveals the shocking truth behind a children’s mental health unit
‘Treated worse than animals’: Huntercombe investigation reveals decade of mistreatment
The previous owners Elli Investments Group said: “We are saddened by these allegations and 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.”
NHS England said it’s deeply concerned by these “shocking allegations”.
A spokesperson said: “Consequently these two units, which are run by Active Care Group, have been visited several times by senior commissioners in recent weeks – these visits have included speaking to all current patients, and we will continue to monitor and take appropriate action where necessary.
“The NHS has repeatedly made it clear in recent meetings to the executives of Active Care Group that all services must provide safe, high-quality care and deliver on the commitments in their contracts.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The further allegations of mistreatment that have been raised are deeply concerning. Our first priority is to ensure anyone receiving treatment in a mental health facility receives safe, high-quality care, and is looked after with dignity and respect.
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“We take these reports very seriously and are working with NHS England and CQC to ensure all mental health inpatient settings are providing the standard of care we expect.”
Chris Dzikiti, Director of Mental Health at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said: “It is unacceptable for any young person who needs mental health support to receive anything less than the highest standards of care.
“We are grateful to each and every person who has taken the time to share their, or their loved ones, experience of the care they have received.
“We have a range of powers we can use if we find people are not receiving safe care and will take every action possible to protect people where necessary.”
UK
More than 500 people arrested after Palestine Action protest – with almost half aged 60 and above
The number of people arrested after a protest in London on Saturday supporting banned group Palestine Action has risen to 532, police have said.
Around half of them (259) were aged 60 and above – including almost 100 people who were in their 70s.
Some 522 arrests were for displaying a placard in support of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, according to the Metropolitan Police.
As of 9pm on Saturday, the number was put at 466.
Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act.
A rally supporting Palestine Action in Parliament Square. Pic: Reuters
One of the arrests took place as the Palestine Coalition march formed in Russell Square, while 521 were at the protest in Parliament Square.
Of those arrested, the biggest number (147) was in the 60-69 age group, while 97 people were aged between 70 and 79, and 15 others were between 80-89.
Six were aged 17-19, sixty-five were in the 20-29 age group, 55 were aged 30-39, 45 were aged 40-49 and 89 were in the 50-59 age group.
The average age of those arrested was 54, while some 263 of those arrested were male, 261 were female and eight either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender.
Among the arrests, six were for assaults on officers (none were seriously injured), one was for “obstructing a constable in the execution of his/her duty”, two were for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions, and one was for a racially aggravated public order offence.
People attend the protest in central London. Pic: PA
Hundreds of people attended Saturday’s demonstration in Parliament Square, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
Anyone who was arrested as part of the operation was taken to one of two prisoner processing points in the Westminster area.
Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. They were given conditions not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action.
Those who refused to provide their details at the prisoner processing points and those who were found to have been arrested while already on bail, were taken to one of a number of Met Police custody suites.
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Charity Amnesty International described the mass arrests under UK terrorism law as “deeply concerning”.
The crowd, sat on the grass inside Parliament Square, could be seen writing “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on white placards at 1pm, with the vast majority remaining silent.
Meanwhile on Sunday, hundreds of people joined a march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held in Gaza by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted “Free Palestine” in front of the march.
One man was seen being bundled to the ground close to Trafalgar Square after being surrounded by around a dozen people.
Another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting.
Amnesty International says it is “deeply concerning” that police made 474 arrests during a Palestine Action demonstration in London.
Metropolitan Police said 466 were detained under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a banned group.
Eight more people were arrested for other offences, including five for assaulting officers.
The Met said it was the most arrests it’s made related to a single operation in at least the past decade.
Pic: PA
Organiser of the event, Defend Our Juries, earlier said up to 700 people were at the event in Parliament Square and claimed police were preparing for the “largest mass arrest in their history”.
The group said those arrested included former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, NHS workers, quakers and a blind wheelchair user.
Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said in a statement: “The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists.
“Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to put a stop to Israel’s genocide and ending any risk of UK complicity in it.”
The Met said a “significant number of people” at the event were seen “displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation.
“Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.”
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Palestine Action supporters arrested at protest
Police said those arrested had been taken to processing points in Westminster and any whose details could be confirmed were bailed on condition they didn’t attend further Palestine Action support events.
Others whose details could not be verified, possibly because they refused to give them, were taken to custody suites across London.
Pic: PA
The protests have put a strain on authorities’ capacity to cope.
Sky News understands senior leaders in the prison service, known as “Capacity Gold”, met today to discuss how to deal with the large number of arrests as the male prison estate is close to full.
It’s understood 800 inmates were moved out of the busiest jails in and around London beforehand.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Federation said: “Thinking of our colleagues and wishing all assaulted officers well. Remember there are no ‘extra’ police officers – just the same ones having their days off cancelled, having to work longer shifts and being moved from other areas. Officers are emotionally and physically exhausted.”
Read more: What does proscribing a group mean?
Legislation to ban Palestine Action came into force on 5 July, making it a criminal offence to show support for the organisation, carrying a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Defend Our Juries said earlier this week the protest would still go ahead, following several similar demonstrations since it was outlawed last month.
On Saturday, a spokesperson said: “Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large.”
Pic: PA
Human rights advocates Amnesty International described the arrests of so many people under UK terrorism law as “deeply concerning”.
Another march organised by the Palestine Coalition, which is a separate group, set off from Russell Square and assembled on Whitehall.
The Met Police said one person had been arrested there for showing a placard in support of Palestine Action.
Pic: Reuters
Earlier this week, three people charged as a result of illegal Palestine Action activity were named.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney in east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
The ban on Palestine Action faces a legal challenge in November after the High Court granted a full judicial review to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
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