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When Annie got the call on a Friday afternoon in March this year, she was on her way to pick up her daughter from school.

Her son, in his early twenties, was being discharged, with immediate effect from the mental health unit Wotton Lawn in Gloucester, where he had been sectioned in the psychiatric intensive care unit.

“You are being discharged as homeless,” the staff member said, while Annie listened in.

Annie told them she was recording the call, and pleaded to keep him in, warning that this course of action would be potentially fatal for her son.

She was told he had allegedly assaulted another patient. He denied it.

But for several days leading up to this moment the hospital had warned his mother it was time for him to leave.

The young man, we will call ‘John,’ indicated that he was having suicidal thoughts. His confused response to what was happening was that he wanted “euthanasia”.

Annie warned staff she couldn’t get there to pick him up, but they pressed on with the discharge.

The staff member told John: “We are going to formally discharge you at half past four this afternoon. So, you won’t be a patient on this ward at half past four.

“And if you do refuse to leave you will be trespassing and the police will be removing you.”

After the discharge time had elapsed, Annie called her son again.

Injuries sustained by Annie's son
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Annie’s son survived despite sustaining serious injuries

There was no reply – until eventually a member of the public answered the phone.

A woman told Annie that her son was badly injured and being treated by paramedics having thrown himself off a bridge.

“So, he’d basically been told to get out of the mental hospital and two minutes later, he’s on the tracks,” says Annie. “He just walked out of the door, jumped headfirst off a bridge.

“He smashed his skull, his face, had a brain haemorrhage, smashed his arms and legs and punctured his spleen.”

Incredibly, he survived.

That evening Wotton Lawn staff members left some of John’s belongings outside for Annie to collect.

She says no one spoke to her.

In the weeks leading up to this moment, Annie had already been talking to Sky News because she felt her son was not getting proper treatment or care at Wotton Lawn.

She said despite him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he was frequently going missing from the hospital.

She says she was unable to see his care plan and that doctors discouraged her from communicating with them.

She claims one consultant even said he would block her emails, after she told him she wanted to put her concerns in writing.

In that period, we collected the stories of several other families and patients who had recently been in the hospital and their experiences echoed Annie’s.

Heidi Hanks
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Heidi Hanks said she pleaded to be readmitted to the hospital

Staff gave tablets to patient despite overdose risk

Heidi Hanks was in Wotton Lawn for a period of eight weeks in late 2022 into 2023.

Her husband John says he had no contact with the hospital while she was in their care.

He said: “I’ve never seen her care plan, never spoken to a doctor. I called the hospital to say, ‘what’s the progress, what’s going on?’

“I never got anything back over the whole time she was there.”

Heidi would go missing from the premises and was once found by a member of the public walking down train tracks.

She says when she returned, no one asked her about what had happened.

Heidi says she too was discharged too soon.

She returned the next day pleading to be readmitted because voices were telling her to take an overdose.

She says despite this, she was told to go home and handed the very tablets she had said she was going to take an overdose with.

She swallowed the pills, just outside the hospital, and her husband collected her and took her to A&E.

Staff asleep
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Photographs obtained by Sky News show staff asleep
Staff asleep

Staff photographed asleep in their chairs

Sky News has obtained photographs of several staff members asleep in their chairs in different parts of the hospital.

These pictures have been taken by patients who say those staff members should have been alert and keeping an eye on the people in their care.

Another patient, who we will call ‘Jamie’, says he wasn’t properly watched and despite supposedly having round-the-clock care, was able to get onto the roof of the hospital and jump off it.

‘I wasn’t in a safe place’

Jamie told Sky News: “I broke both my legs, my wrists, my arm my back and my pelvis.

“I was hearing voices and I should have been in a safe place, where I can’t get out and there are no roofs I could jump off.

“But I wasn’t in a safe place at all.”

He says he was mostly looked after by inexperienced agency or ‘bank’ staff and was isolated from his family.

A Care Quality Commission report on the hospital found the psychiatric intensive care units had a 32% vacancy rate and “high rates of bank and agency staff”.

The service rated overall as ‘good’.

But they also found most relatives “had not been given information or been involved in decisions about their relative”.

All the relatives or carers who spoke to the CQC said “they had not been given the opportunity of providing feedback”.

Nicky Davis
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Nicky Davis says she has been able to access the roof on numerous occasions

One patient ‘able to access hospital roof for years’

Another patient, Nicky Davis, is currently in Wotton Lawn.

She has taken photographs of herself on the roof of the hospital on numerous occasions.

She says she’s been able to access it by the same route “for years” having been in and out of the hospital over a six-year period.

Even when on the hospital’s most secure psychiatric ward for the most at-risk patients, Nicky says she was able to access the roof through a window, and on one occasion attempted suicide.

Nicky says the high use of agency staff means patients don’t form a relationship with their carers but the thing that upsets her most is sleeping staff and claims this is widespread and it’s not just at night, but more often on the afternoon into evening shift.

Nikki Davis (L) with her sister Laura
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Nicky Davis, left, with her twin sister Laura

‘I’ve actually seen patients walk out of the hospital’

Her mother Joanna Davis, and stepfather Darren Watts, say the level of care is inadequate.

Joanna said: “I’ve seen staff asleep. I’ve seen staff when she’s been escorted to the hospital fall asleep.

“I’ve seen the chair on the door empty so that patients are able to abscond.

“I’ve actually seen patients walk out of the hospital and Nicky have to say to a member of staff, ‘that patient is not allowed leave’.”

Nicky’s twin sister Laura committed suicide after she stayed at Wotton Lawn.

An inquest at Cheshire’s Coroner’s Court completed in February 2023 found Wotton Lawn failed to pass on crucial information about Laura to another hospital, leading to a fatal mistake.

The inquest states: “The information transferred from Wotton Lawn Hospital to Arbury Court Hospital about Laura was deficient, in that it did not include anything about a recent incident.”

It goes on to describe how she had tried to commit suicide in Wotton Lawn and then used the same method successfully because staff hadn’t realised a particular object posed a risk.

‘People can abscond from the psychiatric hospital’

Joy Higgins, from the local Gloucester charity Suicide Crisis, is a former patient at Wotton Lawn.

She says she has spent months examining inquests which have shown failures at Wotton Lawn and other hospitals and the lessons are not being learned.

“I think in particular, where patients have been able to access harmful items on the ward and that’s something that we have seen at more than one inquest, tragically.

“And so that suggests very strongly that the learning has not been taken from the inquest and that it is simply repeating.

“And what we have seen in inquest after inquest is the frequency with which people can abscond from the psychiatric hospital when they are assessed as being at high risk of suicide.”

She added: “It’s a repeated issue that’s been going on not just for months, but for years, where patients are being able to simply leave.

“It’s a requirement that the exit doors are monitored to prevent patients leaving. But too often there are no staff there.

“And so, for me, it’s a management issue and ultimately a senior management issue. The leadership of the trust.”

Trust admits ‘we do not always get things right’

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Wotton lawn, said: “We are really disappointed to hear these reports and apologise to anyone who hasn’t had good experience of our care.

“Our hospital at Wotton Lawn is a therapeutic environment and, while two of the wards in the hospital are classed as secure, the majority of general hospital patients are allowed to leave the premises when appropriate and this is managed carefully on a case by case basis.

“Our colleagues work hard, often in very difficult circumstances, to support our patients to recover and be safely discharged every day, and we receive regular positive feedback.

“We know, however, that we do not always get things right.

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“While we cannot respond with specific details, context and facts due to patient confidentiality, we were already aware of the cases detailed and have reviewed them fully.

“We take the allegations of staff sleeping on duty very seriously and will investigate further once full details are shared with us.

“We are constantly reviewing our processes and procedures, and will continue to speak to patients and families about improvements they would like to see within the hospital and improve our services based on their feedback.”

But national charities such as SANE and MIND have expressed growing concerns about the state of mental health services across the UK.

Wotton Lawn seems to be another example where patients are being failed.

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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MP tells Sky News she was attacked online by Tate brothers after Commons contribution

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MP tells Sky News she was attacked online by Tate brothers after Commons contribution

An MP has told Sky News she was attacked online by the Tate brothers after she participated in a debate in the House of Commons about violence against women.

The controversial duo, Andrew and Tristan Tate, are facing charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK – all of which they deny.

But they are still very active online, and according to Sorcha Eastwood, the MP for Lagan Valley, are targeting her.

In a document seen by Sky News, Tristan Tate has highlighted one of the MP’s tweets and writes in private correspondence: “MP, nice target, can we sue her?”

Sorcha Eastwood says at first she thought the replies were from parody accounts and not the Tate brothers.

Her original tweet was about Elon Musk, not the Tate brothers. The MP said Musk’s tweets should be looked at through a counter-extremism lens.

“I was really concerned, I was concerned because to me that is a direct attack for want of a better phrase on me serving my constituents.

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“I couldn’t believe that they decided to pick this random Northern Irish MP. The fact that it wasn’t even about them. This is something I didn’t go looking for.

“I think from my perspective, it’s a very, very sinister attempt to shut down important voices in public life, political discourse.”

It was only when she started noticing an uptick in abuse from other accounts she realised she had encountered some of the brothers’ followers.

“I had rape threats. I had death threats. I had people saying I should be hung from a lamppost. I had people saying I should be chopped into liver. I also had people then who were like we’ll waste 15 minutes raping Sorcha Eastwood.”

Andrew and Tristan Tate
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A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against Sorcha Eastwood

A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against her.

They said: “Ms Eastwood has a distorted view regarding social media if she believes one is required to ‘invite or ask’ people to interact.

“Tristan Tate is entitled to his view in relation to her tweet regarding Elon Musk.”

The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have both been charged with human trafficking, face allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering in Romania.

There is also a European arrest warrant for them as they are facing separate, unrelated charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK. They deny all charges.

Ms Eastwood now worries for others who don’t have a platform like her and who may not feel like they can speak out.

“If this is what has happened to me I have absolutely no doubt that this has happened to others where they have been attempted to be silenced.”

Keir Starmer has previously commented on the Tate brothers’ case in the Commons saying it is “a live issue”, but adding that “the principle is absolutely clear” in relation to whether the brothers should face justice.

Sorcha Eastwood says she wants to see the government do much more to protect against abuse online.

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Tate brothers deny wrongdoing

“I think ultimately the government has taken the wrong course on this. They need to step up.

“This should be an issue of national security as far as the radicalisation of young people online. It should be an issue in terms of the levels of misinformation, disinformation and the lack of trust that is had in our politics right across the UK and Europe.

“I want the government to help me, help every other person to crack down on this and get serious about it. And the only way they’ll be able to do that, is by hitting these tech companies in the only language which they understand, which is money and via robust legislation.”

A government spokesperson said: “Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society which is why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve these crimes within a decade.

“Tackling illegal abuse both online and offline is central to supporting victims and preventing harm in our communities and we will not hesitate to strengthen laws to deliver this mission.

“Last month, parts of the Online Safety Act came into force meaning companies must take action to protect users from illegal material including extreme sexual violence.

“Further protections from this summer will require platforms to protect children from harmful, misogynistic, and violent content.”

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‘It’s just nasty’: Birmingham residents ‘overwhelmed’ by foul stench and massive rats as bins strike rumbles on

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'It's just nasty': Birmingham residents 'overwhelmed' by foul stench and massive rats as bins strike rumbles on

In parts of Birmingham, the stench is overwhelming – enough to make you heave.

At a block of flats in Highgate, in Birmingham city centre, we find a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.

Mickel comes out to speak to us, while all around bin liners lie open, with the contents for all to see, including used nappies and rotting food.

Birmingham
strike bin workers
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Mickel says they’ve had ‘foxes and rats, literally the size of cats’

Outside Mickel's flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish, including used nappies and rotting food
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Outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish

We both find it hard to keep talking amid the awful smell.

“We’ve had foxes and rats, literally the size of cats, flies, it’s just nasty, something needs to be done,” he says.

Birmingham
Birmingham
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Chris says the situation is ‘overwhelming’ as she’s ‘terrified of rats’

Around the corner, I meet Chris, in her dressing gown, popping the bins into her bin store beneath her flat before work.

She unlocks it, and although it isn’t bursting out on to the street yet, it is getting full.

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She says the situation is “overwhelming” as she’s “terrified of rats”. But, even so, she has sympathy for the striking bin workers.

“It’s not an easy job; they must have a heart of gold to do that job,” she says.

“Pay them whatever they need, they deserve it.”

Striking bin workers in Birmingham
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Striking bin workers at Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre

a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.
Image:
There’s an awful smell coming from a mountain of bin liners outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate

At Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre, Brigette has pulled up alongside picketing workers. The back seat of her car is full of rubbish.

She apologises for the terrible waft, mixed with air freshener.

Read more:
Pest controllers ‘feel like an emergency service’
Bin workers strike explained

“It’s very pungent, isn’t it? Not nice,” she admits.

“It’s unfortunate, I have some sympathies for all the parties, but, equally, we have a duty of care to stay clean and tidy.”

She says she has her rubbish and that of her elderly aunt and plans to make weekly trips to the tip until a resolution in this pay dispute between the council and the Unite union is found.

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‘US is our closest ally’, Jonathan Reynolds says in reaction to Trump tariffs – but ‘nothing off the table’

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'US is our closest ally', Jonathan Reynolds says in reaction to Trump tariffs - but 'nothing off the table'

The US is “our closest ally” but “nothing is off the table” in response to Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on imports from the UK, the business secretary has said.

In a statement following the US president’s nearly hour-long address to the world, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers.

“That’s why, throughout the last few weeks, the government has been fully focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.”

Follow the latest following Trump’s tariffs announcement

Mr Reynolds reiterated the statements from the prime minister and his cabinet over the past few days, saying the US is “our closest ally”, and the government’s approach is to “remain calm and committed to doing this deal, which we hope will mitigate the impact of what has been announced today”.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday January 28, 2025.
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Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says “nothing is off the table” following the tariffs announcement. Pic: PA

But he continued: “We have a range of tools at our disposal, and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to engage with UK businesses, including on their assessment of the impact of any further steps we take.

“Nobody wants a trade war, and our intention remains to secure a deal. But nothing is off the table, and the government will do everything necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.”

More on Donald Trump

‘Get back round the negotiating table’, say Tories

The Conservative Party’s shadow business and trade secretary described the US president’s announcement as “disappointing news which will worry working families across the country”.

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Sky’s Ed Conway examines how economies across the world are impacted by tariffs

Andrew Griffith hit out at the government for having “failed to negotiate with President Trump’s team for too many months after the election, failed to keep our experienced top trade negotiator, and failed to get a deal to avoid the imposition of these tariffs by our closest trading partner”.

“The chancellor’s emergency budget of just a week ago with its inadequate headroom is now at risk, casting uncertainty about more taxes or spending cuts,” he continued. “Sadly, it is British businesses and workers who will pay the price for Labour’s failure.”

He called on ministers to “swallow their pride” and “get back round the negotiating table to agree a fair deal to protect jobs and consumers in both the UK and the US alike”.

Relief in Westminster – but concessions to Trump to come

It has been quite a rollercoaster for the government, where they went from the hope that they could avoid tariffs, that they could get that economic deal, to the realisation that was not going to happen, and then the anticipation of how hard would the UK be hit.

In Westminster tonight, there is actual relief because the UK is going to have a 10% baseline tariff – but that is the least onerous of all the tariffs we saw President Trump announce.

He held up a chart of the worst offenders, and the UK was well at the bottom of that list.

No 10 sources were telling me as President Trump was in the Rose Garden that while no tariffs are good, and it’s not what they want, the fact the UK has tariffs that are lower than others vindicates their approach.

They say it’s important because the difference between a 20% tariff and a 10% tariff is thousands of jobs.

Where to next? No 10 says it will “keep negotiating, keep cool and calm”, and reiterated Sir Keir Starmer’s desire to “negotiate a sustainable trade deal”.

“Of course want to get tariffs lowered. Tomorrow we will continue with that work,” a source added.

Another source said the 10% tariff shows that “the UK is in the friendlies club, as much as that is worth anything”.

Overnight, people will be number-crunching, trying to work out what it means for the UK. There is a 25% tariff on cars which could hit billions in UK exports, in addition to the blanket 10% tariff.

But despite this being lower than many other countries, GDP will take a hit, with forecasts being downgraded probably as we speak.

I think the government’s approach will be to not retaliate and try to speed up that economic deal in the hope that they can lower the tariffs even further.

There will be concessions. For example, the UK could lower the Digital Services Tax, which is imposed on the UK profits of tech giants. Will they loosen regulation on social media companies or agricultural products?

But for now, there is relief the UK has not been hit as hard as many others.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reacted furiously to Mr Trump’s announcement of a “destructive trade war”, and called on the government to stand up against “Trump’s attempts to divide and rule”.

“The prime minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.”

Speaking on Wednesday evening at a White House event entitled ‘Make America Wealthy Again’, the US president unleashed sweeping tariffs across the globe.

Mr Trump held up a chart detailing the worst offenders – which also showed the new tariffs the US would be imposing.

The UK’s rate of 10% was perhaps a shot across the bow over the 20% VAT rate, though the president’s suggested a 10% tariff imbalance between the two nations. Nonetheless, tariffs of 10% could directly reduce UK GDP by between 0.01% and 0.06%, according to Capital Economics.

A 25% duty on all car imports from around the world is also being imposed from midnight in the US – 5am on Thursday, UK time.

Read more:

World reacts to Trump’s tariff announcement
Tariffs will have consequences for globalisation, the US economy and geopolitics
Trump’s tariffs explained

The UK government had been hoping to negotiate an economic deal with the US in a bid to avoid the tariffs, but to no avail. The government says negotiations will continue.

The Confederation of British Industry said “negotiating stronger trading relationships with all like-minded partners will be foundational to any success”.

The business secretary is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, and we are also expecting to hear from the prime minister.

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