Lincolnshire’s acute mental health units are severely understaffed and patients are at risk of avoidable harm, a whistleblower has claimed.
They say that there aren’t enough workers to keep people safe amid rising levels of mental health problems, writes Local Democracy Reporter Jamie Waller.
The most severely ill people are treated on acute inpatient wards at the Peter Hodgkinson Centre in Lincoln, which is run by the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The employee – who the Local Democracy Reporting Service is not naming – says they are speaking out after attempts to raise concerns internally have been ignored.
“I would really worry if it was my friend or family member in here,” they said.
“It’s got to the point where there could be really serious preventable harm to patients.
“Things haven’t been great for a long time. The trust can hire agency staff, but they just aren’t getting enough for whatever reason.
“When you consider all the patients that might need several members of staff to keep them safe and from self-harming, the maths just doesn’t add up.
“The big concern is that if staff have to rush to deal with a serious incident where there’s a threat to life, there isn’t anyone left if anything else happens.”
The trust says that demand on the wards is rising, but they are trying to increase recruitment and have policies to ensure safety.
They also listen to any concerns raised, a spokesperson said.
However, the staff member claims that morale is “absolutely diabolical”, which was leading to a high turnover rate as experienced members leave.
“We know that self-harm levels are going through the roof around the country,” they said.
“I’ve seen levels twice what they were three years ago. I’m seeing incidents I should never see.
“Why aren’t we increasing staffing levels to deal with this need?
“Everyone’s tried to speak to managers about the problems, but nothing’s changed. It’s fallen on deaf ears.”
They also said that understaffing meant workers were increasingly put in situations where they were at risk of assault from patients.
“It says on the door ‘We don’t tolerate abuse to staff’, but it happens everyday.
“We have to say enough is enough.”
Sharon Harvey, chief nursing officer (quality and professions) at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: “We take the safety of our patients and staff very seriously and we always listen to any concerns raised and take action.
“Over recent years, we have been addressing the changing needs and challenges of providing acute mental health care and continue to do so.
“Twice a year, we conduct a thorough review of all of our staffing establishments across wards. This review takes into account national guidance, patient needs, clinical and professional judgement, as well as feedback from both staff and patients and this has led to increases in staffing over recent years.
“We know however that recruitment to mental health wards is a challenge nationally, and we have been working proactively to recruit to these areas. Where we do have vacancies or unfilled shifts, we always try and source temporary staff, or have in place measures to ensure the safety of our wards.
“Demand and need on our wards has increased and can fluctuate daily. To manage any increase, we have local escalation processes in place, and as far as possible co-locate wards with other crisis and inpatient services so that other staff can respond and support with any immediate risk.
“Finally, we are working closely with ward teams, patients, and carers to explore more ways to further improve the ward experience. For example, we have signed up to take part in a number of national improvement programmes to ensure we are adopting best practices and tackling any ongoing concerns.”
