Hill Crest Ward: Watchdog probes concerns at Redditch mental health unit

A CQC inspection followed a report by the BBC earlier this month

Services at a mental health unit are being reviewed by the healthcare watchdog after a string of incidents.

A union raised concerns about safety at Hill Crest Ward in Redditch after staff had to lock themselves in an office after being threatened by a patient.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has also been made aware of an allegation of rape involving patients on the ward.

Worcestershire Health and Care Trust, which runs the unit, said it could not comment on the allegations.

The CQC inspection followed a report by the BBC earlier this month after a patient threatened scalding on the unit and police had to be called when furniture was smashed on 2 July.

At the time, the trust said the incident was managed in line with policy and there was "no suggestion there was a loss of control of the ward".

Patient absconded

Neither the trust nor the CQC would comment on the rape allegation, but a source claimed a male patient may have gained access through a door that was not functioning properly.

The family of another patient who was sectioned for her safety has also told the BBC that she was able to abscond twice from the unit in the past few weeks and on both occasions, she was found in a dangerous location.

The family also claimed police had been called into the unit twice and that patients were able to self-harm while in care.

One said: "The fact that the trust spokesperson said that there was no loss of control is laughable".

The trust said: "While our priority is to provide the most supportive and safest environment we possibly can, Hillcrest is also an acute mental health ward supporting patients who are experiencing a range of severe, acute, complex illnesses."

It added that sometimes patients would attempt to harm themselves and police assistance would be required, but its staff were trained in managing incidents.

The CQC said it was reviewing the services and would determine its next steps in due course.