‘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.”
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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.”
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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
Tulip Siddiq: Labour MP accuses Bangladesh’s leader of ‘orchestrated campaign’ to damage her reputation
Former minister Tulip Siddiq has accused the leader of Bangladesh of conducting an “orchestrated campaign” to damage her reputation and “interfere with UK politics”, according to a new legal letter seen by Sky News.
The Labour MP also said comments made by Professor Muhammad Yunus in a Sky News interview have prejudiced her right to a fair investigation, meaning the ongoing corruption inquiries into her should be dropped.
In March, the chief adviser – who is effectively the country’s interim leader – told Sky News that Ms Siddiq “has so many (sic) wealth left behind here” and “should be made responsible”.
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Bangladesh’s leader talks to Sky News
Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has opened several investigations into Ms Siddiq alleging corruption in connection with the government of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as the country’s prime minister last year.
In the new correspondence sent today to Professor Yunus and the ACC, lawyers for the former minister write: “The time has now come for the chief adviser and the ACC to abandon their wholly misconceived and unlawful campaign to smear Ms Siddiq’s reputation and interfere with her public service.”
Sky News has approached the chief adviser and the ACC for comment.
The Bangladeshi authorities have previously said they have evidence to back up their claims of corruption and will pursue action through the country’s courts.
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Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Ms Siddiq said: “I will not be allowing them to drag me into their world of dirty politics and nothing is going to stop me from pursuing the job that I was elected to do with an overwhelming majority, which is representing the people of Hampstead and Highgate.
“So they need to stop this political vendetta, this smear campaign, and this malicious persecution right from the beginning.”
The MP had requested a meeting with the Bangladeshi leader during an official visit to the UK earlier this month to “clear up” any misunderstandings.
But this was turned down by the chief adviser, who said he did not want to “interrupt a legal procedure”.
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In the new legal letter, lawyers for Ms Siddiq say the interim leader had already unfairly influenced the inquiries through previous comments.
“The copious briefings to the media, the failure to respond to our letters, the failure to even ask to meet with and question Ms Siddiq during their recent visit to the United Kingdom are impossible to justify and completely inconsistent with a fair, lawful and serious investigation,” reads the letter.
The correspondence also sets a deadline of 30 June 2025 for the Bangladeshi authorities to reply by, stating that “in the absence of a full and proper response… Ms Siddiq will consider this matter closed”.
A former Nobel Prize winning economist, Professor Muhammad Yunus became interim leader of Bangladesh last August after weeks of deadly protests forced Sheikh Hasina from power.
He has pledged to root out corruption and recover alleged stolen wealth before holding votes to elect a permanent administration.
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Last month, Professor Yunus banned the Awami League – the political party still led by Sheikh Hasina – from standing in the coming elections.
That led to criticism from those still loyal to the former prime minister, with protests also sparking in the country over jobs, pay and planned reforms.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Tulip Siddiq had lived in several London properties that had links back to the Awami League.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus who said he had “not identified evidence of improprieties” but added it was “regrettable” Ms Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of the ties to her aunt.
Ms Siddiq said continuing in her role would be “a distraction” for the government but insisted she had done nothing wrong.
Sheikh Hasina is currently standing trial in absentia in Dhaka over alleged killings during last summer’s civil unrest.
Asked by Sky News if she had any regrets about links to the Awami league, Ms Siddiq said: “The main thing I would say to you, I’m very proud to be the MP for Hampstead and Highgate. I was born in London, I grew up in London. I went to school here and now I’m an MP here.”
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Sheikh Hasina pictured in 2023. Pic: AP/Yomiuri Shimbun
In March, Sky News revealed that UK investigators could assist with probes into alleged grand corruption during Hasina’s time in power.
Staff from the National Crime Agency visited Bangladesh in October and November as part of initial work to support the interim government in the country.
Last month, the NCA confirmed it had secured a “freezing order” against a property in north London linked to Ms Siddiq’s family.
She denies all the allegations – and sources close to the MP say the authorities have been sending correspondence to an address in Dhaka that has no connection with her.
A “rapid” national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government.
The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some NHS trusts into maternity care failings.
The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure “no parent or baby is ever let down again”.
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The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government’s announcement and said maternity services were “at, or even beyond, breaking point”.
Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals had been rated inadequate over safety issues.
Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was “clear something is going wrong”.
He added: “For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.
“What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened.
“Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.”
Mr Streeting said families have had to “fight for truth and justice” and had described being “ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong”.
The investigation will consist of two parts.
Wes Streeting speaking during the RCOG conference. Pic: PA
The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health.
The second will be a “system-wide” look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care.
A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families.
The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December.
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Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all.”
Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: “The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.”
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RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: “Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point.
“This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.”
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