The Huntercombe Group

The Huntercombe Hospital, Stafford was criticised heavily for a lack of staff and failing to intervene when a patient self-harmed with contraband items in 2016.

[3] Stephanie Bincliffe, who had a learning disability and autism, was placed there when she was 18 and kept in a padded room where she had little or no fresh air or exercise for almost seven years until her death.

However, the inquest into the death of Miss Bincliffe found there was no evidence of neglect and that her weight could not have been easily managed due to her severe autism and the level of self-harming which would have resulted from any attempt to alter her diet or get her to exercise more.

[5] It was told by the Care Quality Commission to improve its corporate governance in 2018, and to recruit more experienced Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services staff.

[7] The Maidenhead hospital, which provides specialist child and adolescent mental health inpatient services, was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission in February 2021 after young people ‘appeared to be over sedated’ during an inspection.