'Extensive institutional abuse' revealed in blistering report on Cornish mental care system

Another Report from Britain

A blistering report into mental health care in Cornwall has raised serious concerns about abusive methods used in the treatment and care of people with learning disabilities.

[You can get your own copy of the report here (PDF) 800Kb]

During the investigation, teams of inspectors catalogued extensive evidence of widespread abuse including staff hitting, pushing, and dragging people who were supposed to be in their care. Patients were punished by staff withholding food and forcing patients to take cold showers. A lack of adequate controls led to allegations of sexual abuse by fellow residents and one man had his skull fractured in an attack by another with learning disabilities. Patient's money has also been misused and the CSCI and Health Commission have referred these cases to the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service.

The report follows an extensive investigation by the Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) into several treatment centres and units in Cornwall. The report recommends that the Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust is placed in special measures for its "widespread institutional abuse" of patients at Falmouth's Budock Hospital.

The scale of abuse in Cornwall is the worst the inspectorates have encountered. Checks will now be carried out on all services in England.

Five members of staff from Budock Hospital have been dismissed, a ward has been closed and staff are being retrained.

The inspectors said while some staff were caring and well-meaning but they "lacked understanding and knowledge of best practice".

The Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust said there were "no excuses" for the failings in its learning disability services, but stressed some changes have been made. Chief Executive Lezli Boswell, who took over at the trust in May, has apologised in writing to the carers and service users. She said: "I cannot and will not attempt to justify what has happened, as it is inexcusable. My job now is to turn the services around."

The report has recommended an outside special measures team should continue to help run Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust for at least another year. It also calls for an independent review of the trust board, and services for people with learning disabilities to be designed according to individual need.

The national charity Mencap said it was horrified by the conditions the inspectors reported. Spokesman David Congdon said: "The extent of abuse of people with a learning disability in Cornwall has been truly appalling."

A joint statement by Anna Walker, the chief executive of the Healthcare Commission and David Behan, CSCI's chief inspector, said the level of abuse in Cornwall was not found everywhere. However, they called for an inspection programme of all NHS and independent healthcare providers will be carried out and published next year.

"More than a million people in England (2% of the population) are estimated to have learning disabilities" they said. "It is not acceptable to overlook the needs of these vulnerable people because they rarely capture the headlines, or in some cases are unable to champion their own rights."