This Is How People With Mental Illness Are Sexually Assaulted in British Hospitals

A joint inquiry by The Independent and Sky News has brought to light approximately 20,000 reported sexual incidents within NHS mental health trusts over the past five years.

Data obtained through a freedom of information request by the media outlets show that from 2019 to August 2023, there were 19,889 new complaints of sexual assault and harassment involving patients and staff across 30 NHS trusts. Of these, a mere 95 cases were reportedly taken to the police.

Dr. Lade Smith, the head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, described the findings as appalling. Concurrently, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, deemed the revelations a clarion call for governmental action.

Key findings of the investigation include a staggering 19,899 sexual incidents reported across over 30 NHS trusts from 2019 to November 2023, involving both staff-on-patient assaults and patient-on-patient violence.

A mere 982 incidents — under 5% of the total reported cases — were referred to the police during this timeframe, 800 serious allegations, including rape, targeting female patients.

Despite a ban imposed a decade ago, mixed-sex wards persist in NHS mental health care, with over 500 sexual assault reports since 2019.

Only six out of 50 hospitals demonstrated compliance with NHS standards aimed at safeguarding patients from sexual harm.

Dr. Smith conveyed to The Independent the unacceptable nature of sexual violence in society and its profound, enduring impact on victims. He emphasized the urgent need for protective measures within mental health trusts.

This alarming situation, now labeled a national disgrace, involves the exploitation of patients in psychiatric units.

Personal accounts of sexual assault and mistreatment were shared by numerous patients and their relatives with The Independent, painting a grim picture of the reality within mental health wards.

Sexual Exploitation

Numerous victims and their relatives have stepped forward with their accounts, among them Alexis Quinn, who endured repeated sexual assaults while hospitalized for mental health care in Kent.

In a Sky News podcast, Alexis recounted her admission to a psychiatric unit following her brother's death.

Autistic and undiagnosed at the time, she was grappling with intensified sensory experiences.

Her intended short-term hospital stay extended to nearly four years under the Mental Health Act due to a misdiagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Faced with a shortage of beds in the women's ward, Alexis found herself as the sole female patient in a male-dominated ward, where she was sexually assaulted by another patient.

Following her complaint, the Kent and Medway NHS Trust pledged to safeguard her, transferring her to a different hospital.

Yet, she was again placed in a mixed-gender setting and assaulted by a male patient. Neither of her alleged assailants were prosecuted.

Traumatized by her experiences, Alexis fled the hospital with assistance from a retired GP and a teacher, eventually relocating to Nigeria after a journey that took her from Dover to France.

The Kent and Medway NHS Trust has extended its "sincerest apologies" to Alexis, citing a decade of improvements in care delivery, the elimination of mixed-sex wards, and a marked decrease in restrictive practices.

Another patient, Stephanie Tutty, disclosed to Sky News and The Independent her repeated sexual abuse by a male staff member at the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust over five months.

Despite a two-year police investigation, Stephanie was informed that her case would not advance due to the low probability of a conviction.

Rivkah Grant also reported an assault by a male healthcare worker at Chase Farm Hospital. After reporting the incident, she was transferred to a mixed-sex ward. Her assailant was convicted in 2017.

The investigation has exposed over 500 allegations of sexual assault and rape in mixed-gender psychiatric inpatient settings of NHS England, spanning over 20 trusts.

'Useless' Guidelines

Following the Care Quality Commission's expression of concern, the NHS introduced guidelines in 2020 to shield mental health patients from sexual abuse.

However, only six trusts have demonstrated compliance with these guidelines, according to Sky News.

NHS England has since directed all trusts and local health systems to designate a domestic abuse and sexual violence lead to facilitate incident reporting by patients and staff.

The Department of Health and Social Care has affirmed its commitment to collaborating with the NHS to guarantee the provision of safe, high-quality care to all mental health patients, ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect.

The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has labeled the findings "chilling" and is seeking explanations for the non-reporting of the majority of these incidents to the police and the prevalence of mixed-sex wards despite the risks.

Alexis, however, emphasizes the broader issue: the focus should not be on prosecuting vulnerable psychiatric patients but rather on fostering systemic cultural change and providing adequate resources and support for those in distress.

Pervasive Pattern

The investigation showed a pervasive pattern of sexual abuse within mental health facilities operated by the National Health Service.

Streeting expressed horror at the notion of such heinous crimes being perpetrated against defenseless patients within the NHS, calling for immediate scrutiny of hospital leadership and questioning why most incidents were withheld from the police.

Dame Vera Baird, the former victims' commissioner, found the perpetration of such acts by caregivers particularly egregious, highlighting the scandalous nature of the investigation's outcomes and the potential lack of proper vetting for hospital staff.

Sharon Brennan, representing the patient advocacy group National Voices, categorized the cases revealed by The Independent as some of the most egregious breaches of trust encountered.

This exposé precedes a national inquiry into England's mental health care by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, prompted by a series of reports from The Independent over the previous year.

Freedom of information data indicates a significant risk posed to patients by hospital staff, with over 300 reported incidents in the last five years.

Melanie Leahy shared a heart-wrenching narrative of her son Matthew, who reported rape while hospitalized in 2012 and tragically passed away two days later.

A 2019 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report criticized the staff's inadequate response to his allegations.

Gaia Pope, a rape survivor, experienced sexual harassment in a mixed-sex ward at Dorset NHS Hospital in 2014, with staff failing to act on her complaints. Her cousin believes these oversights contributed to her death later that year.

In response to national concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission regarding sexual abuse in mental health services, the NHS established the Sexual Safety Collaborative in 2020.

Yet, to date, most NHS trusts fall short of meeting these standards, with only six hospitals providing evidence of compliance.

Gemma Byrne, policy and campaigns manager at the charity of Mind, called the investigation's findings shocking and demanded greater accountability for trusts neglecting to address such grave incidents of sexual safety.

Professor Charlie Brooker, a leading academic on the intersection of sexual assault and mental illness, advocated for an inquiry into sexual safety in mental health wards, anticipating a substantial response from potential witnesses.