Edenfield Centre: Health minister backs inquiry over abuse

Health Minister Will Quince says the case "does meet the threshold" for an independent inquiry

The mistreatment of patients at a mental health hospital does warrant an inquiry, the health minister has said.

Will Quince apologised to patients at the Edenfield Centre in Prestwich near Manchester and their families.

A BBC Panorama investigation found a "toxic culture of humiliation, verbal abuse and bullying" at the hospital.

Hospital bosses said they took immediate action including suspending staff and launching a clinical review.

Raising the case in the House of Commons, Bury South MP Christian Wakeford said it had been 15 days since the Panorama show aired "deeply distressing" scenes at the hospital, which had "brought tears across the country", yet "we have heard nothing from the department".

He said: "The programme showed some of the most vulnerable people in society being physically abused, goaded, sexualised behaviour from staff to patients, falsifying medical records and patients locked in isolation for months on end."

The Labour MP claimed there was a "culture of bullying" and a "failure of leadership" at the centre.

He said some of the families of patients featured in the programme had told him they were "still being blocked from contacting their relatives, who are desperate to move out of the Edenfield Centre and some are even in seclusion now".

He called for an inquiry and an apology.

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Mr Quince responded: "He asks whether I will apologise to the patients and their families, of course I will unequivocally do so.

"It should not have happened and it is our role as ministers, and in fact all those who work within the NHS, to do all we possibly can to prevent it from happening again.

"He asks for an independent inquiry, I believe it does meet the threshold to do so."

Andrew Maloney, deputy chief executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) NHS Foundation Trust which runs the centre, said disciplinary procedures started as soon as it was informed of the allegations with a "significant number of staff" suspended.

He earlier told a Manchester City Council meeting that senior staff were deployed to the centre, which was closed to new admissions, and it launched an independent clinical review of the centre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The committee described the situation at the centre as a "catastrophic disaster".

Findings of an independent review are expected to be sent to the trust by the end of the month

Labour councillor Tom Robinson, said: "I, like many, watched that documentary and there's a certain point that made me cry.

"We have a duty to those patients who are now victims and the courage demonstrated by their families to... do everything we can in partnership with the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust."

Mr Maloney said: "We are wholeheartedly committed to do whatever it takes to put right these wrongs and to preventing them from happening again."

'Complex issue'

Speaking in the House of Lords earlier, Lord Markham said body-worn cameras could be "one approach" in the wake of the allegations.

But he also told Parliament that while there were advantages of video recorders "being able to pick up things like this", it was a complex issue because of privacy considerations.

He said: "I do not believe that there is an easy solution such as body cameras - that might be one approach, but first and foremost I want to feel that these are places where patients feel that their privacy is respected."

Greater Manchester Police's investigation into the allegations is ongoing.

Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk

A BBC Panorama undercover investigation has found evidence that a secure NHS psychiatric hospital is failing to protect some of its vulnerable patients.

Available now on BBC iPlayer (UK Only)

CORRECTION - 13 October 2022: Our original story said the minister had agreed to a "public" inquiry. In fact, Mr Quince said he would support an "independent" inquiry

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