Hospital ward closed after CCTV shows 'misconduct'

A hospital ward for people with autism and learning disabilities has been temporarily closed after a review of CCTV led to concerns about "staffing issues and patient safety".

Byron Ward at Hollins Park Hospital in Warrington, Cheshire, was shut by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in December and investigations are ongoing.

The exact nature of the concerns have not been confirmed, but published minutes from a Mersey Care committee meeting said the issue related to "deliberate misconduct of staff".

Mersey Care said it had launched an internal investigation and that it expected "the highest professional standards" from its workforce at all times.

Healthcare watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had "received concerns about people's welfare" at the site and was "liaising closely" with the trust.

Jenny Hurst, acting chief nurse at Mersey Care, told a meeting of the trust's quality and performance committee in January that an anonymous whistleblower had raised concerns.

She said that the trust's "internal safeguarding processes" had already picked up issues on the ward, but the tip-off led to a request to examine CCTV footage.

The committee heard that since the problem came to light, it had been conducting random audits of footage to monitor "observations of care" and a policy had been updated to require a band 6 nurse on each shift.

Ms Hurst also told the committee "deliberate misconduct of staff was highly unusual" and that the trust's early warning systems were effective.

A report to the trust's board of directors said that staff had been "temporarily removed from clinical practice".

Ms Hurst said the trust hoped to re-open the ward this month.

A spokesperson for Mersey Care told the BBC: "We expect the highest professional standards from our workforce, at all times, and patient safety remains our highest priority.

"As a result, we have notified the CQC and our commissioners and will not be commenting during our investigations."

The CQC said if it was not satisfied people were receiving safe care it would "not hesitate to take action."

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