A series of complaints have been lodged with the Western Health and Social Care Trust over the alleged mistreatment of patients at a mental health unit.
At least four complaints have been lodged with the local health trust in the last week over the care received by patients in the Grangewood mental health inpatient unit in Gransha Hospital in Derry.
Belfast Live spoke with a number of former patients from the Co Tyrone area who have previously been admitted to the Derry facility and their families who have submitted complaints to the Western Trust.
READ MORE: Artwork by vulnerable people torched by suspected arsonists in blaze at Derry mental health facility
A young man in his 20s told us after a recent suicide attempt he did not receive any psychological help, and was discharged from Grangewood despite continuing to exhibit suicidal thoughts.
“When I was in the hospital this time I didn’t really receive any type of psychological help, I was a glorified lodger on the ward,” he said.
“They send you to a day hospital and say you are going to learn mindfulness, but they would cancel these sessions and you just end up doing arts and crafts.
“I’m a professional in the outside world and it’s not going to benefit my mental health doing stuff like that.
“In my last admission I was in there for 10 days and didn’t see any type of psychologist at all.
“They said they would tinker my medication but there was no actual discussion of my condition or what I even have.
“I appreciate there are only a certain amount of beds but there are people who are not ready to leave that facility.
“I was still suicidal when I got discharged and had to be babysat by my family for a week and I don’t want to put that burden on them.”
The mother of a woman who was admitted to the facility earlier this year after attempting suicide told Belfast Live her daughter was given a razor despite having been on suicide watch.
“On the Tuesday one of the nurses on the ward, even though they knew what she was in for, gave her a razor,” the distressed mum said.
“She then slit all her arms. She was supposed to be checked every 15 minutes as she was in ICU but they were only checking her every half an hour because they said they ‘didn’t have the staff’.
“When I made noise about them giving her a razor, they said the nurse wasn’t aware of her self-harming.
“She wasn’t safe in there and she was totally vulnerable. I kept saying to them that they need to watch her.”
Her mum says days later her daughter was found attempting to take her own life in her room at the facility.
“A few days later they say they went into the room and found her attempting suicide, and a doctor was never called even to assess her or have her wounds treated.
“Three days later the doctor came in and asked her three questions and told her she was going home.
“She begged him not to send her home because she didn’t feel safe and he told her ‘you kill yourself at home it’s on you and not me’.
“He sent her home because he didn’t want another suicide on his ward.
“Any time we went in to visit we were afraid to leave that place for fear of what she would do.
“I have no life, my life is just constantly worrying about her now that she is out. My life is now keeping her alive because they haven’t done their job.”
READ MORE: London Marathon: Tyrone friends claim world record time for running while handcuffed
One woman told us that she had attempted suicide in the days after her father’s death before being admitted to Grangewood. After being discharged days later, she alleges a doctor told her to ‘go to the Foyle bridge’.
“I was admitted after my dad died and the doctor turned round and told me: ‘Instead of going home, go to the Foyle bridge and then you’ll be beside your father’," the woman said.
“My dad was only buried two days. It just knocked me for six when he said that.
“I don’t think he should be allowed to work somewhere like that when you say things like that to people.”
The Western Trust was forced to apologise to the family of Davin Corrigan, 25, who died from suicide at Grangewood in 2018 in what a health watchdog report described as a ‘preventable’ death which exposed ‘multiple’ failings in the Trust’s mental health services.
The Trust said at the time a Serious Adverse Incident report was published that a number of recommendations had been implemented to improve services at the facility.
Independent councillor for the Strabane area, Raymond Barr, says the level of care provided to those being treated at the facility, and the wider Trust area, remains inadequate.
“After receiving a request for assistance from a local family whose offspring had been discharged prematurely from a mental health unit in our district I quickly came to the conclusion the treatment this person had received fell well below the standard one would expect,” Cllr Barr said.
“I highlighted the case on social media and was immediately inundated with complaints from parents and patients citing similar dreadful experiences in not only the Western Trust area but other trust areas.
“We are currently assisting some of these families to navigate the complaints process and will not rest until the issue has been comprehensively investigated.
“If true some of the allegations made are alleging treatment which gives great cause for concern.”
The Western Trust were asked to respond to a number of the allegations made from those patients and families outlined in this report. A spokesperson for the Trust did not address any of them directly, citing issues around patient confidentiality.
The Trust also said there were times when a patient is suicidal that it is ‘more risky’ for those experiencing suicidal thoughts to remain in a hospital environment.
“These concerns have been shared with the relevant Clinical teams, however due to patient/client confidentiality we would not be responding to individual cases,” the Trust said.
“If a patient/client or their relative has any issue in relation to their treatment or the service they have received, we would encourage them to raise these issues through the Trust's comments and complaints system - the Patients' Advocate Office.
“All complaints received are investigated promptly and dealt with in line with Trust policies which includes monitoring of themes to complaints and learning from them. A response is issued to the person(s) who raised the complaint(s).”
The spokesperson added: “Mental health conditions are many and complex; and suicidality as a symptom is multi-factoral. At times it is more risky for those experiencing suicidal thoughts to remain in the hospital environment and this is carefully considered by the entire multi-disciplinary team.
“Whilst there are bed pressures across mental health services, in line with the rest of HSC, it is not a factor in deciding readiness for discharge. Each case is considered on its own clinical presentation, regardless of bed availability.”
For anyone in distress or despair, contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 or visit www.lifelinehelpline.info
READ NEXT:
Teamwork makes the dream work as SWAH staff take on marathon for new equipment
- Politicians demand meeting with Seagate management over Derry job loss fears
- Dungiven: Three children 'extremely shaken' after burglars enter home and steal firearms
- King's Coronation: DUP MP handing out 6,000 certificates to Derry school children
To get the latest breaking news from Co Derry straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
