In the hospital which was supposed to help her, the last moments of 14-year-old Ruth Szymankiewicz’s life were recorded on CCTV.

The teenager, who should have been under constant supervision on the children’s psychiatric ward, was left alone by her support worker at Taplow Manor Hospital in Berkshire. Fifteen minutes later, she had fatally self-harmed.

The worker assigned to her had only one-and-a-half days’ training and had faked his identity using false documents.

Earlier this month, a jury at the inquest into Ruth’s death concluded she was unlawfully killed. Despite this, there have been no criminal prosecutions.

Speaking to Sky News and The Independent in their first TV interview, Ruth’s father, Mark, said: “She went somewhere that was supposed to be helping her, and it made her worse. The isolation and lack of access to her family had a massively negative impact.”

Her mother, Kate, added: “The children get lost. Ruth got lost. She was lost in the middle of all this chaos.”

Ruth’s parents have said the hospital’s strict visiting regime meant they were unable to see their daughter as often as they had wanted. Her father never saw her room.

“Her access to us was denied,” Mark said. “We were willing and able to give that support. It completely derailed her.”

The family believe that if Ruth had been allowed regular contact with them, she would still be alive.

History of failings

The failures at Taplow Manor were well-documented. Investigations by Sky News and The Independent uncovered disturbing evidence about the treatment of young people.

There were numerous critical reports, including three from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulator in the year leading up to Ruth’s death, each one highlighting unsafe practices.

Despite this, the NHS continued to send vulnerable children there.

At Ruth’s inquest, an NHS clinician in charge of commissioning her care admitted they knew about the issues at the hospital.

The inquest heard there were no other psychiatric intensive care units close enough to send her to.

Steph Smith was a former patient at Taplow Manor – then known as The Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead – in 2017, who later went on to work at the unit as a healthcare assistant between September 2021 and February 2022.

She described the ward as “chaotic, scary and intense”.

“There was a huge culture of covering things up,” she said.

“Observations weren’t done. People just signed the paperwork at the end of the shift. On paper, it looked fine, but in reality, children were left at risk.

“It was only a matter of time. It breaks my heart that it took a 14-year-old girl dying for the hospital to close. It should have been shut years ago.”

Staff warned managers

Nurse Ellesha Branaghan worked as a clinical team leader on Ruth’s ward. She and colleagues warned managers about shortages on the rota.

“We would often tell them the staffing levels weren’t safe but we just kept getting told these are the numbers,” she said.

She said a lack of staffing often meant patients could not go on leave, or even visit the hospital gardens.

There were occasions, she said, when patient observation levels were decreased because there were not enough staff on shift.

“Sometimes we would have four or five incidents at the same time,” she added. “We didn’t have the staff to respond, so that becomes unsafe.”

The staffing levels became “so severe” that even patients wrote to senior managers to express concerns.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “All providers must operate to the highest standards and the NHS worked with young people and families to move patients from Taplow Manor to other clinically appropriate services.”

The ‘loophole’

Taplow Manor was finally closed in 2023. The CQC had visited the hospital just 11 days before Ruth’s death.

High-level feedback was given following this, highlighting concerns with the environment, care plans not being followed and staffing levels.

After further inspections in March 2022, the watchdog issued a warning notice about failings in patient observations.

But once a warning notice is issued, that particular issue cannot be the subject of a criminal prosecution – something Ruth’s parents describe as a “loophole”.

Mark said the CQC opened an investigation into his daughter’s death and looked at a “number of different routes to potentially prosecute the Active Care Group”.

Active Care Group acquired the Huntercombe Group, which ran Taplow Manor, in December 2021.

Mark said the regulator was not “allowed or able to prosecute, even though the same failing happened with catastrophic consequences”.

‘No justice for Ruth’

The CQC said it did carry out a full criminal investigation but the evidence “did not meet the threshold”.

It added that there was no suggestion the outcome would have been different if there had been no warning notice.

For Ruth’s parents, this is unacceptable.

“Why did our daughter have to die before anyone paid attention?” Kate asked. “They knew all this before she died.”

The inquest ruling of unlawful killing has brought no comfort to Ruth’s family.

“There can be no justice for Ruth,” her father said. “She’s dead, she’s gone. We’re left with the fallout.”

A CQC spokesperson said the regulator began a criminal investigation in November 2022 but “found that there was not sufficient evidence to charge”.

“We know that this was disappointing for Ruth’s family, and we met with them to explain how we came to this decision,” the spokesperson added.

“We have a range of enforcement powers available to us and criminal action is only an option when the evidence demonstrates without any doubt that there have been organisational failings that can be proven to the required legal threshold.”

Following Ruth’s death, the CQC continued to visit the unit. A report published just six months later raised more concerns over observations, saying “there had been 22 incidents involving poor practice with observing young people”.

It went on: “The incidents ranged from staff falling asleep, not following young people when they left the room and completing other tasks whilst they were meant to be observing someone.”

It was rated inadequate in December 2022, before its closure.

Ex-patients voice concerns

Ruth’s case echoes concerns raised by other former patients.

Amber Rehman, who was admitted to Huntercombe Hospital in 2019, said: “Ruth’s story – I’ve heard so many similar stories. It could happen to anyone. It could still be happening out there.”

Amber’s mother, Nikki, said: “It was absolutely preventable. No one made changes.”

Amber’s family made a formal complaint about the care she received.

An independent review was commissioned by the hospital, which found issues with observations – including missing observation records – and an over-reliance on physical intervention and medication.

The review – which was published exactly a year before Ruth harmed herself – recommended an audit of the observation records, and said the way the hospital communicated and engaged with families should be looked at.

Sky News has seen two other independent reports commissioned by the hospital before Ruth died, raising similar concerns – including engagement and communication with the patient’s family.

Fifty former patients came forward to our investigation in 2022 to share their experience of this hospital and a number of other units run by the same provider.

Many have told us how they still struggle with trauma from what they faced while under its care – some have formal diagnosis of PTSD due to it.

Sky News understands that 58 former patients are now taking legal action against around 30 psychiatrists who worked at various Huntercombe hospitals over two decades.

Sky News investigations into Huntercombe Group units:
‘Blood on the walls’: Shocking truth of life on mental health unit
Thirty ex-patients reached out to Sky News after initial probe
‘Inadequate staffing’ at hospital ‘put young people at risk’

A statement from Active Care Group said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences to Ruth’s family, friends, and all those affected by her passing. We deeply regret the tragic event that occurred, and we are truly sorry for the distress this has caused

“We directed significant investment in staff training, recruitment, and the hospital estate, spending more than £3m on the physical environment alone over an 18-month period.

“Despite these efforts, by early 2023, it became clear that achieving the high standards of care that reflect our core values would not be possible within an acceptable timescale.

“In recent years, we have made significant improvements to the quality and safety in all of our services.

“We are regrettably unable to comment on historical allegations relating to care provided under previous ownership or management.”

Elli Investments Group, owners of The Huntercombe Group until 2021, previously told us: “We 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.”

‘Our lives are darker without her’

Ruth’s parents, who are both doctors working in the NHS, are calling on the government to close what they see as the “legal loophole” in the powers the CQC has to prosecute.

They also want to strengthen safeguards for children in mental health units by ensuring parents have visitation rights to their children.

“Ruth died under the care of the state,” her mother, Kate, said.

“We very much hope that secretaries of state for health and for mental health are listening to Ruth’s story, and that they can use this opportunity, particularly to make sure that children have unrestricted access to their families.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies are with Ruth’s family and friends. This is a shocking case and it is clear care at Huntercombe Hospital fell far below the standards we expect.

“Where appropriate the CQC can bring prosecutions where a provider has failed to comply with a warning notice, and we are clear that those that harm patients through negligence or mismanagement should face the consequences.

“We are investing £75m this year to reduce inappropriate out of area placements, increasing family involvement in patient care through the Mental Health Bill, and driving up standards through the 10 Year Plan so everyone receives the level of care they deserve.”

Ruth’s parents are both struggling with the lack of accountability over their daughter’s death, especially the decision by the CQC not to prosecute.

“We don’t have faith the system will make sure changes happen,” Mark said.

“Governance has been completely ineffectual. Until there is real accountability, nothing will stop this happening again.”

Kate added: “Our lives are darker without her. Ruth was unique and wonderful. She kept us wholehearted in everything we did. Now she’s gone.”

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.

The Appeal Court judge who ruled in favour of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in the Epping migrant hotel case is a long-standing Labour supporter.

Lord Justice David Bean, 71, is a former treasurer of the Society of Labour Lawyers and chaired the left-leaning Fabian Society, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, in 1989 and 1990.

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He was also – with Sir Tony Blair’s barrister wife Cherie – a founder member in 2000 of the left-wing Matrix Chambers, whose members include the current attorney general, Lord Hermer.

On its website, the Society of Labour Lawyers describes itself as “a thinktank and affiliated socialist society which provides legal and policy advice to the Labour Party”.

Founded in 1948 by a future Labour lord chancellor Gerald Gardiner, it declares: “Our objectives are to contribute legal expertise to the Labour Party and uphold the principles of justice, liberty, equality, and the rule of law in the UK and around the world.

“We advise Labour MPs and the House of Lords; develop and scrutinise policy and legislation; contribute to debate within the Labour movement by hosting events and discussions; and mentor future members of the legal profession.

“We are open to Labour Party members who are also practising or retired lawyers, law students or graduates, academics, and members of the judiciary.”

The Fabian Society describes itself as “a democratically governed socialist society, a Labour affiliate and one of the party’s original founders”.

But Lord Justice Bean isn’t the only judge at the centre of the legal battle over The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, who has a political background and affiliation.

Sir Stephen Eyre, the High Court judge who ruled in favour of Epping Forest Council earlier this month, was a Conservative parliamentary candidate four times.

His most high-profile bid to become an MP came in the 2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, won by current Labour MP and former minister Liam Byrne.

Appointed a High Court judge by then Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab in 2021, Sir Stephen was a Tory candidate while working as a barrister.

His first attempt came in 1987, when he stood in Hodge Hill in that year’s general election, coming second behind Labour’s Terry Davis.

Then in 1992, the year of Sir John Major’s 21-seat election victory, he stood for the Northern Ireland Conservatives in the unionist stronghold of Strangford.

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Mr Eyre, as he then was, came fourth behind the official Unionists’ John Taylor, with current Democratic Unionist MP for Antrim East Sammy Wilson in second place.

In 2001, he stood in Stourbridge, where he again came second, this time to Labour’s Debra Shipley, when he cut her majority from nearly 6,000 to under 4,000.

And in the 2004 by-election, he came a distant third as Mr Byrne scraped in by just 460 votes ahead of the Liberal Democrats, who benefited from an Iraq war backlash.

“It’s an invasion,” Dinah Bentley tells me, standing next to a cardboard cut-out of Nigel Farage.

The 78-year-old retired teacher says she “doesn’t laud” the Reform MP, whose grinning likeness is a permanent fixture in her West Yorkshire conservatory, but he “says what I believe”.

“Everybody talks about migration, but our country’s ruined,” Dinah adds. “They’ve ruined it.”

The “they” in her mind? People who have crossed into the UK on small boats.

We have seen asylum hotel protests intensify over the summer and wanted to speak to the people who’ve joined them.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll speak with counter-protesters too, but today, we meet Dinah, a grandmother of two who has joined those calling on asylum hotels to close.

She was, like many of the protesters we met, initially sceptical to speak to a journalist.

Dinah says she “doesn’t watch mainstream news” because of “media lies” over Brexit.

Instead, she says she gets her news from social media.

It was on social media that Dinah learnt about a protest being organised outside a hotel in Wakefield, which has housed asylum seekers for several years.

It was the first migration-related protest she had ever attended.

“We’ve put up with so much for so long and I think ordinary people now, they’ve decided it’s no good sitting, doing nothing,” Dinah says.

After reading about a male asylum seeker being charged with a sexual assault in Epping, she says she is “fearful” for her granddaughters’ safety.

“They’re undocumented,” she says, referring to those who have arrived in the UK on small boats.

“We know nothing about them. We don’t know where they are wandering the streets. It’s not right, is it?”

She’s also angry about the cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels.

I ask Dinah what she thinks about the government plan to close asylum hotels, stop illegal crossings and deport people who do not have a legal right to remain.

“It’s all talk, all talk”, she says. “I don’t believe them.”

“I would be happy if the Navy went into the Channel, we’re an island for God’s sake, and stopped the boats.

“That would make me over the moon.”

Dinah tells us people used to be “afraid” of saying what they really thought about migration.

No more, she says.

The ‘migrant watch’ group

On the other side of Wakefield, we meet 47-year-old James Crashley.

He’s also been to the local asylum hotel protests.

An army veteran and former policeman, James says he does not think asylum seekers should be housed in hotels or houses of multiple occupancy.

“I’ve served in Kosovo and in Iraq, within the British Army,” he says. “And if I can be housed in a tent for six months, then they can too.”

The prime minister has pledged to end the “costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this parliament” – which would be 2029, if not earlier.

James has, by his own admission, become somewhat notorious in his local area for trying to set up what he’s called a “community watch”.

He says the police are “very good at dealing with serious crime” but believes “they seem to forget that day-to-day crime exists”.

Called “5 Town Migrant Watch” and advertised by him on social media, James says the volunteer group will support the Wakefield hotel protests and act as a “gentle presence” in public areas to tackle “all anti-social behaviour”.

But it will focus on “illegal migrant men” who James describes as having “conflicting traditions and cultures”.

“They come from cultures that aren’t as civilised as ours,” he says. “They don’t seem to adhere to our laws.

“And because of the cultural differences, as in the sexual assaults on children and women, they believe that’s fine in their cultures. Well, it’s not here.”

I say to James that no culture accepts sexual assaults on women and children are “fine”, a point he says he “accepts”.

But he claims that, by definition, people have already “broken the law” when they arrive on small boats in the first place.

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Asylum seekers in hotels rise by 8% under Labour
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James’ group has attracted hundreds of supporters online, but also criticism from people who believe the group – and James himself – is not only divisive but dangerous.

James admits he has previously had a police caution for a public order offence, not related to the community watch, but stresses this group “isn’t vigilantism”.

“It’s a peaceful movement,” he says. “But if needs be, we’ll stand our ground and will prevent crime. We’re not allowed to commit crime.”

‘People are angry’

A few days later, we meet Dinah again outside the Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield.

Protesters line the road, waving Union and St George’s flags. Some are shouting “send them back” and “stop the boats”.

Groups of counter-protesters are there too, chanting “Nazi scum” over the police barricade.

I ask Dinah how that feels.

“I think it’s hilarious,” she says. “I know what I am, I don’t value their opinion, so I couldn’t care less what they call me.”

But standing next to Dinah, also waving a Union flag, is Sharon.

She says she’s “a little bit frightened being here” and feels it’s unfair to be put in that position just “to try and get the government to listen to you”.

She added: “I’m a 60-year-old mum. I work 40 hours a week. And nobody gives me anything free. You just want fairness.”

In the crowd, we find James.

I ask him what he thinks about the government plan to appeal a court ruling to shut the asylum hotel in Epping.

“Of course they were going to try and block it,” he tells me.

“The smiles here and the good attitude and the positivity is masking the anger of what’s happened to the English.

“People are angry. People know that once they’re out of here,” he says, gesturing at the hotel behind us, “they’re going to be put in the community”.

“What happens then, who knows?”

Dinah and James are among thousands of protesters who share a sense of being ignored by the government – leaving an overwhelming sense of pressure and uncertainty about what will happen next.