A Labour MP has publicly detailed the harrowing ordeal his autistic daughter endured during a six-month stay in a children’s mental health hospital marred by serious failings and abuse allegations. Richard Quigley, the MP for Isle of Wight West, recounted how his 15-year-old daughter was forcibly wrestled away from her parents upon arrival at Taplow Manor — formerly Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead — in May 2022. He criticised the hospital for what he described as an over-reliance on restraint and force feeding, as well as below-standard care throughout their stay.

Taplow Manor has been a focal point of concern since 2022, when The Independent revealed multiple allegations from former patients describing systemic abuse and poor care across several Huntercombe Group children’s hospitals. This came after a coroner ruled that Ruth Szymankiewicz, a 14-year-old patient treated at the hospital for an eating disorder, had been “unlawfully killed” in February 2022 following a catalogue of care failures. Ruth’s death was linked to the negligence of staff, including a care worker operating under a fake ID and with minimal training, who left Ruth unsupervised despite her high-risk condition.

Quigley’s experience highlights ongoing issues at the facility, which was placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2021 after inspectors found that patient care fell significantly below expected standards, with frequent incidents of self-harm and complaints about the quality of care. The CQC issued warnings and imposed restrictions on admissions following inspections that identified serious concerns about safety and governance, particularly relating to psychiatric intensive care units.

Describing the chaotic onset of his daughter’s admission, Quigley said that agency staff with inadequate training dominated the hospital workforce, failing to properly understand the complexities of eating disorders and their frequent co-occurrence with autism. He alleged his daughter was mocked by nursing staff for her autism and was tube-fed for the entire stay. After the closure of Taplow Manor in March 2023, prompted by mounting abuse allegations from over 50 former patients and whistleblowers reporting dangerously low staffing levels, Mr Quigley’s family sought treatment at another private hospital. Yet, even there, he alleges staff neglected his daughter’s care, forgetting to feed her eleven times over three months.

The Priory Group, which runs the subsequent facility attended by Quigley’s daughter, disputed the feeding allegations and stated they were “unverified.” The group emphasised their willingness to investigate the case and collaborate on improving services but rejected claims that independent healthcare providers are selective in patient intake or that they “profit from misery,” countering that NHS referrals to private care typically involve the most challenging cases.

Active Care Group, which acquired the Huntercombe services in late 2021 after the original Huntercombe Group’s administration and years of documented mismanagement, stated that despite investing in staff training and recruitment, they closed the Maidenhead hospital as they could not meet the required care standards within an acceptable timeframe. The group has since achieved high ratings from the CQC for other facilities under their management.

Quigley has since called on the government to conduct a public inquiry into deaths of patients with eating disorders, increase funding for related research, and reduce reliance on private sector mental health services. He criticised private equity ownership of mental health hospitals, describing it as profiting from patients’ misery and selective about who receives treatment. His concerns were echoed in a Westminster Hall debate on eating disorder services, where other MPs highlighted an overstretched and underfunded system leaving patients without timely support.

The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the challenges faced by families like Quigley’s and stated they are investing £10 million this year to improve eating disorder services. However, the department did not commit to an inquiry or to ending reliance on private care in response to his calls.

The tragedy of Ruth Szymankiewicz and the experiences of Quigley’s family have underscored systemic failings at Taplow Manor and other private mental health units, prompting a national review of inpatient mental health safety. Police investigations into alleged assault and neglect at these facilities have further heightened scrutiny. These issues illustrate broader problems within UK children’s mental health services, particularly around staffing, training, and regulatory oversight, which critics argue must be urgently addressed to prevent further harm.

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Source: Noah Wire Services