Bristol mental health Riverside unit shuts after death

The patient's death came after "serious incidents that have recently taken place at Riverside"

An investigation is underway after the death of young patient at a mental health unit in Bristol.

The Riverside Adolescent Unit at Blackberry Hill Hospital, which provides care for vulnerable people, temporarily closed on 18 January.

The NHS trust that runs the site said the patient's death came after a "serious incident" at Riverside, which was followed by another incident.

The trust said the closure was a "difficult decision".

It added that another "serious incident" happened after the patient's death.

It is not yet known when the unit will reopen.

After an internal review Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), which manages the unit with South West Provider Collaborative, has said it could not "give assurance" it could "consistently deliver a safe level of care moving forward".

All eight young people who were at Riverside at the time of the temporary closure in January have now been admitted either to another adolescent mental health unit in the region, or discharged into the care of the trust's local community services.

All inpatient beds and day care service at Riverside are shut but no other services are impacted.

The NHS trust says the temporary closure was a "difficult decision"

A joint statement from AWP and the South West Provider Collaborative said: "Subsequent close monitoring and reviews on the unit did not provide assurance that we could consistently deliver a safe level of care moving forward, which led to the decision to temporarily close.

"We recognise and apologise for the disruption this temporary closure may cause our patients, families and our staff.

"We will be working with our staff to reopen the unit as soon as possible."

It said it has informed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about the closure, and will work with the health watchdog to make improvements.

A CQC spokesperson said two "serious incidents" took place between December 2023 and January 2024.

"We will liaise closely with the trust regarding the situation, so we are assured improvements have been made before the unit re-opens," they added.

In 2017 the CQC told the trust it needed to make improvements at the unit because there was a risk that young patients could hang themselves or be strangled because of the presence of ligature points.

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