- Author, Michele Paduano
- Role, BBC Midlands Today, Health Correspondent
A troubled inpatient mental health unit looks set to close following a series of safety concerns.
These include fires, patients suffering broken bones and staff expressing fears over the risk of death at Hill Crest, Redditch.
To plug the recruitment gap, the body that runs the institution is currently spending £2.5 million a year on branch and bank staff, according to the BBC.
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said the closure proposal was because the building could not be adapted to meet the latest standards for acute mental health.
The BBC first identified problems at Hill Crest when staff locked themselves in the office in July 2022 after a patient threatened to burn them.
An investigation found allegations of rape involving patients, staff sleeping on the job, patients fleeing and intimidation.
A Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection subsequently revealed a significant deterioration in safety and quality in the service.
In response, the number of patients was reduced from 18 to 10 to improve staffing ratios and safety.
Image source, Getty Images
However, staff expressed further concerns in a letter saying that although the number of patients had decreased, those admitted were more seriously ill.
The letter said: “Staff are under a lot of pressure and we have people off sick with depression and anxiety because of the stress of the service and the lack of support we receive.”
The facility said that since then, staff and management have worked incredibly hard to improve the standards of care and environment of the service.
She added that she recognised the building could not be adapted to meet the latest standards of care, which include en suite rooms and good sightlines for staff throughout the ward.
A spokesperson said: “Our aim as an organisation is to operate two main inpatient mental health care campuses – one in Hereford and one in Worcester, with services and teams co-located across single sites providing immediate and strong support to our services.”
It is hoped that sharing staff with the Elgar unit in Worcester could lead to savings on staffing at the agency.
“Staff could leave”
Claire Breese, from Unison, said more staff could leave because they were not prepared to travel 30 miles to Worcester for work.
She said: “A lot of staff are worried about this decision. They don’t think it will change anything in terms of staffing.”
The union said the move risked creating further instability.
Collette Kearney, a former nurse, believes the unit could have been saved if management had taken action sooner.
“They had every opportunity to focus on the issues years ago when I first raised my concerns. Patients and staff were disappointed by that trust,” she added.
The organisation said it had completed a number of engagement and listening events with staff and the public, a presentation and monitoring at HOSC and followed NHSE processes.
“A report requesting ratification of this decision will be presented to the institution’s board of directors in July and formal consultation with staff will then begin,” he said.
