MUM’S GRIEF

A MUM has hit out over blunders which allowed her daughter to take her own life at a private hospital which was paid thousands of pounds a week to care for her.

Troubled Brooke Martin, 19, was sent to Chadwick Lodge by the NHS, and her family prayed better times were ahead.

She had been admitted to A&E 39 times in a year after self-harming and her safety was the key reason her family agreed she should go into the hospital, run by Elysium Healthcare.

But there were critical gaps in care and its staff missed opportunities that would have saved Brooke.

Tragically, Brooke survived only a matter of weeks. She was found dead in her room after fashioning a makeshift ligature from material which staff failed to spot, despite a suicide bid days earlier.

Her inquest laid bare a litany of errors and raised the spotlight on fat cat health providers paid millions by the NHS.

Brooke’s mum Natasha Darbon said: “The NHS was paying this company thousands a week and they didn’t properly care for my daughter.

“We need these units to be part of the NHS so there is proper control.”

Elysium receives huge sums and last year had 1,773 patients in 69 facilities.

Its parent firm raked in £620million in two years and one director got £672,000 last year – up from £400,000 in 2019.

Chartered accountant Joy Chamberlain, 57, is the chief executive and led the formation of Elysium in 2016 when it acquired 22 Priory and Partnerships in Care hospitals for £300million.

DEBATE

Today, Natasha, 42, accuses the firm of putting profits before people.

And the tragedy has reignited the debate over whether the NHS should be outsourcing mental health care at all.

Natasha, of Cranleigh, Surrey, added: “Brooke was my only child and I thought we’d sent her to a place of safety. Their job was to keep her safe so she could get treatment. She never got that chance.

“It is the greatest tragedy of our lives that staff failed to protect Brooke and did not respond to signs her risk was escalating. We feel utterly let down.”

The tragedy at Chadwick Lodge, in Milton Keynes, Bucks, came amid a string of failings at sites run by Elysium.

Laura Davis, 22, took her own life at Arbury Court in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2016. A report said she was “badly let down” by staff, who “facilitated” her death.

Nadia Shah, 16, took her own life at the Potters Bar Clinic, Herts, in January 2019. The Mirror showed pictures of staff asleep while meant to be keeping an eye on suicidal patients.

An autism unit in Welton, Lincs, was put into special measures this month by the Care Quality Commission. It said there were not enough staff to offer safe care.

At Ty Grosvenor rehab unit in Wrexham, health bosses last year issued two damning reports recording “serious concerns” for the safety of its 34 patients.

And in 2018, Elysium was fined £500,000 after a patient killed herself by

We thought Brooke would be safe with professionals who have the expertise... NATASHA DARBON ON HER ANGUISH AT CARE FAILINGS

jumping out of an unlocked minivan travelling at 50mph. Elysium Healthcare No 2 Limited runs Chadwick Lodge and turned over £102.9million in 2020. Accounts show parent firm Elysium Healthcare Holdings 2 earned £336million in 2020 and £284.8million in 2019. Its mission statement hails it as “being outstanding at what we do”.

Companies House records show it is backed by investment firm BC Partners, with an ultimate parent company in low-tax Luxembourg. The equity firm, said to be worth $40billion, was linked with a takeover of soccer giant Inter