Independent review launched at the Edenfield Centre

  The Edenfield Centre in Prestwich, near Manchester, is set to be investigated by an independent expert following the broadcast of a BBC Panorama report in September which showed patients being mistreated and abused. Professor Oliver Shanley OBE has been appointed by NHS England to lead the independent review of the centre.

Responding to the news, Vicki Nash, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at Mind, said:

“Mind welcomes today’s news of an independent review into the widespread failings and appalling abuse at the Edenfield Centre, which came to light after a BBC Panorama investigation in September. It is good to see a commitment from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to engage in an “open and transparent” manner with the review. The treatment of patients at Edenfield was truly horrific, and we hope the voices and wishes of patients and their loved ones will be listened to throughout the review process.

“Unfortunately, we know that what happened at Edenfield was not an isolated incident, but instead part of a wider crisis in inpatient mental health care. Since the BBC Panorama investigation came out in September, we have seen a steady stream of deeply concerning reports of failures to keep people safe when they’re at their most unwell. When people go into hospital for their mental health they deserve safe, compassionate, therapeutic care as a bare minimum, but all too often this is not what they get.

“We want to see urgent and meaningful change in mental health crisis care. While the UK government’s announcement of a rapid review into mental health units last month was a step in the right direction, Mind wants to see bolder intervention in the form of a statutory public inquiry that looks to learn lessons on a national level. This would legally compel staff and decision-makers to cooperate in the process, and should be guided by the stories of the people who have been most harmed by the systemic failures in England’s mental health settings. Until then, we will only get a piecemeal and fragmented picture of what is going wrong and what needs to change in the system as a whole.”