Royal Free Hospital’s ‘place of safety’ was hazard for suicide-risk patients

Risk: The lavatory had ligature points that could be used for self-harm
Yui Mok/PA Wire

People considered at risk of suicide are being taken to “places of safety” in hospitals where they could take their lives, inspectors revealed today.

The Care Quality Commission criticised the use of an “unsuitable” area in A&E at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead because the lavatory had ligature points that could be used for self-harm. The hospital also failed to ensure the area was clean.

Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, the mental health trust that provides the services, was rated as “requires improvement” after the February inspection.

Its mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety were judged inadequate, with two of its three hospitals failing to promote dignity, recovery, comfort or confidentiality.

Paul Lelliott, the CQC’s deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said: “While some services managed risks to patients well, we also found examples of wards which were not safe for people who may be at risk of suicide.”

Waiting times were up to a year for people needing psychological support, while those needing the personality disorder service had to wait 16 weeks to be allocated a care coordinator and 12 months for therapy.

The Royal Free said it was carrying out a major refurbishment of its A&E department.

“The plans include the provision of three assessment rooms for mental health patients, one of which will be for children,” a spokeswoman said.

“None of the toilets in the refurbished emergency department will have ligature points.

"When appropriate, the trust will request that a mental health nurse attends the Royal Free Hospital to monitor a mental health patient on a one-to-one basis, which includes monitoring them while they are using the toilets."

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