Denis Campbell for The Guardian writes:
Sexual incidents including harassment, assaults and rapes are “commonplace” in mental health units, mainly carried out by patients, the NHS’s care regulator has reported.
A total of 1,120 sexual incidents – 65 a week – occurred on mental health wards in England during April, May and June, according to the Care Quality Commission.
In one incident the CQC recounted a woman on a mixed-sex acute mental health ward was the subject of “relentless” attention from a male fellow patient who had sex with her twice. “The sexual exploitation … has completely scarred me for life,” she said.
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “Sexual abuse of any kind is completely unacceptable anywhere in the NHS and we expect allegations to be taken extremely seriously, informing the police as necessary.
“The CQC is right to identify lack of trained staff as a factor that leads to unsafe environments. Staff and the public know that patients are safer when they have access to sufficient trained mental health nurses who have regular, consistent clinical supervision.”
(ed: are mixed sex wards another risk factor?)
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/11/nhs-care-regulator-says-sexual-incidents-commonplace-in-mental-health-units
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