Patient 11: Calls for public inquiry into 20,000 sexual abuse allegations in NHS mental health wards
Rape Crisis England & Wales is calling for a public inquiry into sexual violence and abuse within mental health inpatient wards after a Sky News investigation uncovered a catalogue of sexual abuse complaints.
The Sky News/Independent Patient 11 podcast investigation discovered nearly 20,000 new sexual abuse, harassment and rape complaints – involving both patients and staff – across more than 30 mental health trusts in England since 2019.
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Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCE) described the current situation as “appalling” and “alarming”.
In addition to calls for a public inquiry, it wants the government to appoint a minister responsible for the safety of women on mental health wards, women-only wards, and a provision to allow victims to give evidence.
“We are concerned that without major intervention and leadership at the highest levels, this could lead to sexual violence and abuse simply being accepted as inevitable, when it is absolutely preventable,” said Ciara Bergman, chief executive of RCE.
“We have been raising our concerns about the widespread safeguarding issues with those within the health system for many years.
“It is disturbing that even after the important CQC (Care Quality Commission) report published in 2018 on sexual safety, so little has seemingly changed.
“Women and girls deserve to feel safe wherever they are, but particularly when they are at their most vulnerable.”
Stephanie Tutty, Alexis Quinn and Rivkah Grant are among those who say they were sexually assaulted in NHS care
Following our investigation – which also revealed hundreds of rape or sexual assault complaints involving female patients that were never reported to police, and a landscape where trusts are largely failing to apply 2020 government-backed protections – the health minister said allegations of sexual abuse in mental health settings would be part of a major review.
In February, it was revealed that NHS England was not enforcing safeguarding standards as mandatory across its trusts.
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NHS psychiatric care ‘collapsing’
In its statement, RCE highlighted its concerns over a “lack of clarity” on the part of government and health leaders regarding the ultimate responsibility for sexual safety on mental health inpatient wards.
“There is no quick fix to this scandalous situation,” said former patient Alexis Quinn, whose escape from psychiatric care following two complaints of sexual assault sparked the podcast investigation.
“As RCE suggest, it requires political will, leadership and co-produced solutions targeted at positive culture change.”
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‘I’m just being traumatised’
The Department of Health and Social Care did not respond to the RCE call for a public enquiry.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “The department has zero tolerance and is clear that the NHS should work to stop sexual assaults happening in NHS services and premises.
“We have been clear patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to segregated bathroom and toilet facilities, and we expect NHS trusts to comply with these measures.
“We are working closely with the NHS to ensure anyone receiving treatment in a mental health facility receives safe, high-quality care, and is looked after with dignity and respect, and the Health Services Safety Investigations Body has launched a national investigation into mental health inpatient settings.”
Read more:
NHS psychiatric care ‘collapsing’ amid ‘unsafe’ mixed wards, bed shortages and poor safeguarding
Inside ‘mental health bank’ helping children in ‘crisis’
An NHS spokesperson said: “Over 250 organisations have signed up to the first ever NHS sexual safety charter, launched last year in collaboration with healthcare systems and people with lived experience, to provide staff with clear reporting mechanisms, training and support, ensuring that a zero-tolerance approach to tackling sexual misconduct is taken.
“The NHS has made clear that every provider of our services has a legal and moral duty to safeguard patients, to report all incidents of sexual violence, and to take appropriate action with the criminal justice system and safeguarding bodies where harm has occurred.”
If you are impacted by this story, or believe that you experienced sexual abuse in mental health inpatient care, please contact the Rape Crisis England & Wales helpline on 0808 500 2222.
A pilot has died after a Spitfire crashed in a field near an RAF base in Lincolnshire.
Emergency crews were called to the scene on Langrick Road in Coningsby following reports the plane went down shortly before 1.20pm.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “It is with great sadness that we must confirm the death of an RAF pilot in a tragic accident near RAF Coningsby today.
“The pilot’s family have been informed and we ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”
Lincolnshire Police said the male pilot was the “sole occupant of the aircraft” and he died at the scene/
“Police are not in a position to confirm his name but his next of kin have been informed,” a force spokesperson said.
“Nobody else is thought to have been injured as a result.”
An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.
It has been reported the Spitfire was taking part in a Battle of Britain memorial event.
RAF Coningsby is home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a collection of wartime fighter and bomber aircraft that take part in air shows and memorial displays.
The RAF said it was “working with the emergency services and supporting those involved”.
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Road closures are in place in the areas of Dogdyke Road and Sandy Bank.
Motorists have been asked to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident but it was not involved as it was a military investigation.
Music star Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester.
The American rapper was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possession of soft drugs.
Minaj posted a series of messages on the social media site X – including one message in which she wrote “they said they found weed”.
She also claimed “they took my luggage without consent” and “they’re trying to keep me from MANCHESTER”.
The messages also included one where she wrote: “This is Amsterdam btw, where weed is legal.”
The star also filmed what appeared to be an airport official asking her to have her luggage checked.
Minaj later wrote: “It’s a 45 minute to an hour flight. So they’re probably trying to stall for about 4 hours.”
And she added: “Now they said I have to go 5 mins away to make a statement about my security to the police precinct.”
She has not posted on X since.
Asked about Minaj, Robert van Kapel, a spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, told Sky News’ partner network NBC News: “We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs.”
It is unclear if Minaj’s show at Co-op Live has been affected.
A post on the venue’s X account said shortly after 5.15pm: “Please note that general admission and premium doors for tonight’s Nicki Minaj show will now open at 19:00.”
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The beleaguered Co-op Live arena in Manchester – the UK’s largest indoor entertainment venue – finally opened earlier this month after it was plagued by a series of problems.
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UK
Mother of Jools Sweeney, 14, who took his own life is fighting social media companies for his search history
A bereaved mother who has “absolutely no idea” why her son took his own life aged 14 is fighting social media companies to hand over his search history.
Jools Sweeney was found dead in April 2022. A coroner was unable to rule his death was a suicide as they were unable to prove he was in a “suicidal mood”, his mother Ellen Roome tells Sky News.
Ms Roome says he showed no signs of depression and police have ruled out any third-party involvement.
As a result, she says she has been left with “absolutely no idea why he isn’t here anymore”.
Having read about other teenagers taking their lives after viewing harmful content online, Ms Roome asked various social media companies for her son’s browsing history to shed light on why he died.
Ellen Roome and her son Jools Sweeney (right). Pic: Ellen Roome
But she says: “Since my son’s death, I have not been able to access information to see what my son was looking at that could have contributed to him taking his own life.
“Parents should have the right to full access to their child’s social media accounts either whilst they are still alive (to protect them) or if they die as in my case.”
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She launched a petition to have the issue debated in parliament. But in light of the general election on 4 July, all parliamentary petitions will be automatically closed on 30 May.
This leaves her with just days to reach her 100,000-signature target.
She tells Sky News: “It’s very ambitious but I need 85,000 signatures to hit my target which might give me access to Jools’s information to find out why he died.”
Asked about the impact of her son’s unexpected death, she adds: “It’s impossibly hard, it’s horrific, it consumes me.
“I have to try the only thing we haven’t tried and that is social media.
“It might not be that. But I don’t see why social media companies wouldn’t let me see if they’ve got nothing to hide.”
Pic: Ellen Roome
Quarter of children addicted to devices
A recent House of Commons Education Committee report suggested there has been a 52% increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022, with a quarter said to be using their devices in an addictive manner.
MPs on the committee said that while the Online Safety Act will play a role in keeping children safe from online harms, full protection will not come until the Act is fully implemented in 2026.
They suggest the next government should ban all under-16s from having phones.
The 14-year-old took his own life in 2022. Pic: Ellen Roome
Pic: Ellen Roome
Ms Roome said: “I think there’s a bigger issue than banning outright under-16s.
“Because they still have access to other devices. That is a bigger problem. We need to control what’s on those devices. It’s shocking about what a child can see these days.”
Online safety campaigner Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful material, said such a ban would “cause more harm than good” and would “punish children for the failures of tech companies to protect them”.
“The quickest and most effective route to protect children’s online safety and wellbeing is to strengthen the Online Safety Act in the next parliament and we call on all parties to commit to this in their manifestos,” he said.
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Ms Roome adds: “Companies need to step up and stop waiting for the bill to make some changes.”
She describes her son as “entirely beautiful” and a “really polite young man”.
“I’m appealing to anybody out there to kindly share my petition. I want this debated in parliament. Parents need the right to be able to protect their children.”
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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