MUM’S FURY AT CLINIC FAILURE
Ward is rated inadequate after 7-year battle over girl’s death
THE mum of a teen who killed herself at a mental health clinic has hit out after it failed a crucial inspection – eight years after her death.
Ticehurst House, run by The Priory, was fined £300,000 last April for health and safety failures over the death in 2012 of 14-year-old Amy El-Keria.
Yet just months after her family won their fight to see the clinic held to account, its child and adolescent mental health ward was rated “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission.
Amy’s mum Tania said: “It’s an insult to her – I don’t feel they care about the patients. It’s about making profits and filling beds, it’s disgusting to think about.”
Tania, 55, added: “It breaks my heart every time I think about how Amy suffered. From the start she was just a number.” Despite two previous suicide attempts, Amy was found in her room with a ligature around her neck. She died as a result of the injuries.
Staff had failed to suicideproof her room or to correctly observe her.
And after seven years fighting for justice, Tania says she is
“dying of a broken heart” after being diagnosed with heart failure. She said: “I’m trying to make it for as long as I can, but I keep thinking I’m going to either spend a longer time with my kids, or be up there with my Amy.” Ticehurst House, in Wadhurst, East Sussex, is run by The Priory but gets 90 per cent of revenue from NHS patients like Amy.
The CQC rated it “good” overall but found its child and adolescent mental health ward had “insufficient oversight” by senior managers and “a backlog of incidents waiting for review”.
The hospital said: “Since the inspection in September we have taken significant steps to address concerns.” It had since had “very positive feedback” from the CQC.