An investigation into a secure mental health hospital has uncovered "abusive and inappropriate treatment of vulnerable patients", according to the BBC.
One young woman was locked in a seclusion room for 17 days, was then allowed out for a day, only to be hauled back in for another ten days. Hidden camera footage also shows staff describe 23-year-old Harley as a "cancer" who "needs a good thrashing".
Secret filming by BBC Panorama captured the moment Harley was forced into a seclusion room at the Edenfield Centre in Prestwich. The hidden camera had already recorded staff justifying their actions and agreeing they would not try to reason with her this time.
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With Harley sat on the floor, hospital staff piled through the door and two male nurses grabbed her by the arms. She begged them to "let [her] get up", but managers at the secure unit had already decided there would be "no negotiation".
As she struggled, other nurses and support staff joined in. With her arms, legs and head restrained, she was pinned to the floor, face down. Sobbing, Harley told them: "You didn't even give me a chance".
Warning: This story contains references to self-harm
She had already spent much of the past fortnight locked in a bare room, with little more than a mattress on the floor. The walls are scrawled with marker pen. On one side, there is a locked window that lets in natural light, but no fresh air. On another, an observation window runs almost from floor to ceiling.
Panorama's undercover reporter was told that Harley had previously been aggressive towards staff - but, this time they said she was being isolated for screaming and being verbally abusive. Seclusion should only be used when it is of "immediate necessity" to contain behaviour that is likely to harm others, with patients locked away for the shortest time necessary, guidelines say.
Harley had been detained in a secure unit under the Mental Health Act due to serious and sustained self-harming. She first self-harmed at primary school and would sometimes struggle to contain her emotions and behaviour.
A doctor later diagnosed autism. The developmental disability affects people in different ways, but can create difficulties with social communication and make some situations overwhelming. From the age of 12, she was in and out of hospitals, and special schools.
Her family said things deteriorated rapidly when she turned 18 and moved to a hospital with other adults. They believe the transition, and a lack of support, triggered a crisis.
The transfer to Edenfield gave fresh hope. But Harley soon began complaining of poor treatment by nursing and support staff. In the three months BBC Panorama was filming, Harley was placed in seclusion three times.
In one 28-day period, she spent 27 days in a seclusion room, sometimes with short breaks and with only one day out after the first 17 days. Harley said she was "treated like an animal".
After viewing the BBC footage, John Baker, a professor of mental health nursing at the University of Leeds, said it felt like staff appeared to have had "no other plan apart from to keep [Harley] locked up for days on end". Professor Baker added: "I don't think there's any need for that at that moment in time. It's not like she was harming herself or harming other people."
A number of staff members have been suspended, and the trust said it was working with Greater Manchester Police, NHS England and the Care Quality Commission. An independent clinical review of the hospital has also been commissioned.
The trust said: "We owe it to our patients, their families and carers, the public and our staff that these allegations are fully investigated to ensure we provide the best care, every day, for all the communities we serve."
In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said the use of force, including seclusion "must always be used proportionately, in accordance with the law, and only ever as a last resort".
Where to get mental health support
The following are helplines and support networks for people to talk to, mostly listed on the NHS Choices website
Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk airs tonight (Wednesday) at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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