Secret footage appears to show member of staff 'tickling a murderer' at mental health unit - as BBC's Panorama uncovers alleged mistreatment of patients
29.09.2022 - 17:57
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The language appearing to have been used by nursing staff to - and about - mental health patients is jarring. "She's a c***t."
"Fat b***h."
Then there is the image of a staff member, lying on a wall outside, appearing to have a nap in the sunshine while on duty.
Another clip appears to show a member of staff tickling a patient - a person the BBC says is a convicted murderer.
The footage was taken by an undercover reporter from Panorama as he discovered what the BBC described as a 'toxic' culture among some staff at the Edenfield Centre, on the grounds of the former Prestwich Hospital in Bury.
READ MORE:Dad, 51, fined £750 after slapping teenage daughter with the back of his hand in 'sad, one-off family incident '
The one-hour programme captured apparent humiliation, verbal abuse, mocking and assault of patients - plus alleged falsification of medical paperwork.
A patient called Joanna was filmed apparently being pinched twice by a member of staff, and, against the rules, three male patients are found in one room watching porn, it is claimed. One patient had been kept in a seclusion room with just two teddy bears for a year, it is claimed.
In one clip members of staff are seen discussing how to move an autistic patient called Harley back into a seclusion room without giving her the chance to discuss it. Eight members of staff then pick her up off the floor. She screams and cries out loud as they drag her back to seclusion.
Harley's tearful mum said she couldn't watch the footage. She told Panorama : "She's a young girl, she was calm. She asked for a chance to talk. It should not happen." The episode is described by one mental health expert as 'horrific'.
In another part of the programme, some staff attempt to give