Aberdare's Priory Hospital firms fined £400k after workers assaulted

Seven care workers and one inpatient were assaulted or put at risk between 2014 and 2017, Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard

Companies running a mental health unit have been fined more than £400,000 after staff suffered bite attacks from inpatients.

One worker was bitten "through to the bone" at the Priory Hospital in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

It cared for people with learning disabilities, mental health and behavioural issues and closed in 2017, Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard.

The providers previously pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches.

The independent Priory Hospital was a specialist institution which cared for up to 12 patients.

Park Care Homes ran the day-to-day business of the hospital while Priory Central Services managed a number of services.

Bite required skin grafts

The court heard that in a "series of incidents" between 2014 and 2017 seven care workers and one inpatient were assaulted or put at risk.

The court previously heard that staff were provided with jackets that did not protect them from bite injuries and were given malfunctioning personal safety alarms.

One attack by an inpatient meant a care worker required two skin grafts following a bite to his forearm.

An attack on a female worker resulted in her losing hearing in her right ear after she was knocked unconscious.

Injuries were 'very unpleasant'

Another female staff member reported struggling for "between 10 and 20 minutes" trying to "dislodge" a patient's bite after her help alarm failed.

Sentencing, District Judge David Webster said the harm caused to workers was "very unpleasant".

But he also noted that "there were no previous convictions for either company, [and] each company has cooperated with the prosecuting authority".

He said that in the time that passed since the incidents, both had made changes to their health and safety policies.

Park Care Homes was fined £363,000 and Priory Central Services was fined £40,000.

'There were shortcomings'

Both companies have to pay a £120 compensation to the victims, and were ordered to cover the court costs.

A Priory spokesperson said in a statement: "We apologise unreservedly to the staff who were injured at Aberdare Hospital prior to its closure six years ago.

"We accept that there were shortcomings in ensuring risk assessments were up to date, and in providing the right training and protective equipment."

The firm also said it has introduced plans to manage biting risk and improved its safety training, which it claims has seen a "69% decrease in reportable incidents in this area between 2017 and 2022".