Dozens of former patients are taking legal action against 35 psychiatrists following devastating new allegations of systemic abuse at a group of private children's mental health hospitals funded by the NHS.
Thousands of pages of court documents, seen by The Independent, contain fresh claims that vulnerable children were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, including being force-fed, over-medicated into a "comatose" state, and physically restrained in what families describe as a "brutal regime".
A 'Brutal Regime' of Restraint and Neglect
The claims relate to four hospitals formerly run by the Huntercombe Group, where patients allege they were held in "prison-like" environments. One case involves a 12-year-old girl with a brain disorder who was admitted to Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead after self-harming.
Her parents say that within days, she was wheelchair-bound and incontinent, showing "significant, fresh wounds to the tops of her feet from restraint". The child, who spent nearly two years detained, allegedly begged her parents for help via text message.
Another claimant, a teenage victim of sexual abuse, alleges she was strip-searched on admission in 2020, restrained by male staff, and had "all of her clothes cut off her". The documents also detail claims of racial abuse, with one Black child alleging staff used slurs and made monkey noises.
Families 'Ignored and Belittled'
The allegations span two decades and involve 53 former patients. They include accounts of young girls with histories of sexual abuse being restrained by male staff, forced to be in their underwear, and made to use the toilet or shower in front of them.
Families claim they were barred from seeing their children and prevented from being involved in care decisions. In one instance, parents complained to the local NHS trust, Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, about excessive restraint, including an incident where their daughter was put into a "cage" of mats that "carried a stench of urine". They allege "the views of her parents were ignored and/or belittled".
Alice Sweating, admitted at age 16, claims she was physically restrained more than 150 times during a 14-month stay in 2020, thrown to the floor, and subjected to degrading strip-searches. Her mother, Lauren Copp, says five years on, her daughter still cannot access proper therapy. "Every day we live on a knife-edge," she told The Independent.
Path to Justice and Calls for Reform
The legal claims have been given approval to proceed after a judge agreed they met the threshold under the Mental Health Act, which is designed to protect clinicians from claims made in bad faith. None of the 35 doctor defendants has admitted liability.
Tragically, at least three former patients named in the claims have taken their own lives in the past two years. They include 14-year-old Ruth Szymankiewicz, whose death at the Maidenhead hospital was ruled an unlawful killing by an inquest jury.
Following the ruling, the Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, called the allegations "some of the most horrifying examples of abuse" and demanded a thorough investigation. She has called for significant changes to the Mental Health Act to better protect children.
Following investigations by The Independent and Sky News in 2023, the Active Care Group, which acquired the former Huntercombe services in December 2021, closed the Taplow Manor (formerly Maidenhead) site in 2023. However, Ivetsey Bank in Stafford remains open and still receives NHS referrals.
In a statement, Active Care Group said it could not comment on historic allegations or ongoing proceedings but emphasised patient wellbeing was central. The previous owner, Elli Investments Group, stated it regretted that the hospitals "failed to meet the expected standards for high-quality care".
One mother, whose daughter has anonymity, said the legal progress offered hope: "Finally, there is some hope for some kind of justice, not just for her, but for all those who suffered in the same way."
