Hill Crest: Staff raise concerns about fatalities risk on ward

The Hill Crest unit is based on the Alexandra Hospital site in Redditch, Worcestershire

Staff on a troubled mental health ward have warned of the risk of fatalities due to staffing pressures.

Patient numbers at Hill Crest in Redditch, Worcestershire, have been reduced amid a number of safety issues.

A letter signed by staff was delivered to senior executives at the trust which runs the ward, claiming managers were not listening to their concerns.

The trust said executives had since met with the team at Hill Crest to address the issues raised by staff.

The letter, signed by 13 members of the Hill Crest team, claimed there had been two potentially fatal incidents on 18 March.

It said risks were only avoided because they happened at handover time, when there were two teams on the ward to deal with the crisis.

"If that wasn't the case, one set of staff would not have been able to manage both situations safely and something serious would have likely happened," the letter read.

'More bad press'

Staff also highlighted a "very recent incident" where a patient was choking and another patient, who was receiving continuous observations, was self-harming.

The letter stated that it was only by luck that a staff member noticed the patient choking and made the decision to prioritise them, leaving the second patient with another member of the team trying to calm them down.

"This could have been a fatality on the ward," the letter read, "and Hill Crest ward does not need more bad press."

In July, the BBC identified staff had been forced to lock themselves in an office for fear of being scalded when a patient mixed boiling water and sugar.

There were also allegations of rape involving patients, a patient absconding twice and then, in August, a fire on the ward.

A BBC investigation also identified staff sleeping at work and allegations of bullying.

Staff raised concerns that although the number of patients had reduced, the patients now being admitted were more seriously ill.

"Staff are under a lot of pressure at the moment and we have people off sick with depression and anxiety because of the stresses of the ward and the lack of support we get," the letter stated.

It claimed staff were unable to take adequate breaks and highlighted a heavy reliance on agency staff.

Raising standards

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust said its priority was the safety of everyone on the ward and all reported incidents were investigated thoroughly.

It said its senior team had been on site regularly over recent months discussing culture and practice, but it recognised that there was more to be done.

"We continue to monitor our improvement plan closely to ensure standards are raised and maintained," a spokesperson said.

The trust said that it had established a group of agency staff on long-term placement working on Hill Crest to ensure consistency of staffing.

It added it had also been successful in recruiting a nurse and several support workers which would add further stability to the ward.