Local hospital has had two Psychiatric patients escape in the last month.

[Lauracrazygirl]

Before I tell my story, let me make something very clear.

I have the up most respect and sympathy for Psychiatric Nurses and Doctors. It's by far the hardest job I can think of and I know that hospitals are not prisons and shouldn't be regarded as such, not even the psychiatrist wards.

But today is the second time in the space of 5 weeks were I have been out for a walk with my son and bumped into a patient who managed to leave their ward without anyone noticing. I phoned 999 on each occasion and the person was picked up by police.

If this has happened to me twice in such a short space of time then how often is it happening?

I don't want to name the hospital here or describe the patients in each instance because I would hate for their families to find out via Mumsnet.

But I don't feel it's right to just leave this as it is.
Should I write to my local council? Or is there some sort of medical inspection council that I should contact? I live in Scotland if that matters.

many thanks

Are they on locked wards and detained the patients?

How do you know they've 'escaped?'

They could be informal, in which case they are free to come and go. Even if they're detained, at some point in their stay they're allowed of the ward unaccompanied.

Also, the police aren't always the right people to call. Google Right Person, Right Care.

On each occasion they were bare foot and confused.

The first occasion the patient was only wearing a hospital gown. The incident today was similar although the man had boxers on and wrapped himself in a hospital blanket.

You don't let a patient leave a hospital bare foot and half dressed.

I call 999 because in that moment.. what else could I have done to ensure their safety?

The hospital in question (again I don't want to name it) according to it's website has 2 wards dedicated to " acute psychiatric admission'

So I presume they must be secured entry and exits with at least a buzzer system.

In most cases the hospital has no right to prevent them leaving, if that's what they choose. It depends what kind of hospital it is.

It's very unusual for someone on a psychiatric ward to be wearing a hospital gown. Are they definitely from a psychiatric ward? Sounds more like they have just left a&e?!

How old were the patients?

I've seen the police searching the hospital grounds and surrounding areas more than once for a patient who has left a psych ward. I've assumed those patients were sectioned but I agree it seems like neglect to allow a patient to leave in a gown or in boxers even if they are there voluntarily.

I've never known anyone to be wearing a hospital gown in a psychiatric hospital, and my brother has had three long-term admissions in both acute and rehab wards over the past three years. If this is PICU and they're gowned for some strange reason then I'd be calling the ward to speak to the consultant ASAP. Very strange and while this may seem like doubting you I don't actually doubt you as some very strange and unbelievable things happen in MH care which the general public with no experience wouldn't believe.

My brother has told me many stories of people doing 'a runner' while out on escorted leave or swimming with the OT for prescribed exercise etc but in those cases I'd still expect them to be less discernable than you describe unless the swimmer escaped in his Speedos. If they are being put at risk of possible escape while on ward or on while on escorted leave in states of undress then that reflects really badly on the ward. Obviously them being able to elope at all is awful but them being so identifiable and vulnerable as obvious psychiatric ward patients is just unforgivable from a protective POV. If I met someone like this I'd be visiting or calling the hospital asap and probably making a police report too. The hospital has a duty of care they clearly aren't up to. Mistakes happen and some people can be expert escapologists but there are supposed to be measures in place to protect the individual and general public that clearly are failing and massively so.

Patients do leave hospital, the staff may have noticed and called the police themselves. Odd to be wearing a gown though, Ive never seen that.

Its lack of funding, patient minding on these wards is often done by an SIA Security guard. To restrain someone without injury you need a 4:1 ratio, most hospitals have 4 staff for the entire ward. Imagine two patients kicking off at the same time? Who do you deal with, 4:1 ratio allows for a hands off approach but if it’s a 2:1 ratio then you can’t do anything. It’s shocking and trusts desperately need funding

Could have been on section 17, but unlikely, and in any case you did the right thing. The police spend a great deal of time dealing with mental health in A&E because general nursing won't take any responsibility or reasonable care of people detained under 136. The police are now the go to service to deal with crisis since cuts to mental health services.

It isn't a hospital in Sussex is it? many of the patients are forensic and they often have escapees.

I would write to your local MP and the hospital director. Do you have the CQC in Scotland?

I have been in psychiatric hospital a few times..l was allowed out and yes sometimes in my state of mind l forgot my shoes .. even forgot my top once and was out in my bra.
But l only walked the grounds or across the road into the " normal " large hospital grounds.
Luckily someone informed the hospital and a nurse came to collect me.. no one rang the police.. l think that would have scared the hell out of me.

P.S you don't wear hospital gowns..

Their relatives would have been notified.

I work on a psychiatric ward, we had a patient leave the ward without permission from the lead nurse this week (even informal patients are supposed to inform the nurse in charge if they are going out and when they will be back). It turns out that there was a problem with the door locking mechanisms. This particular patient is on DOLS. staff realised very quickly and they were found close to the hospital. Their family was informed.

MH advocate here.
If detained under section then they are not free to leave UNLESS approved section 17 leave which is either escorted or unescorted,

Patients whom are informal are free to leave

Regardless you did the correct thing

Anyone here saying they've never heard of that happening obviously don't live near any secure units.

Op I live not far from a secure phychiatric unit where patients are not allowed to be outside of the premises at all let alone with support staff.

The helicopter is up searching regularly for patients who have escaped despite the unit having had a massive amount of money spent on higher security measures on site.

Unfortunately lack of staff and checks will always add risk to escapees

You did the right thing

Here's a more detail on each incident.

The first patient was a woman she had to be a least 60 years old. She was actually wondering around the car park screaming "Taxi Please! Someone get me a taxi!" She was extremely upset. I walked up to her and saw she was bare foot and had hospital gown on and underwear. She also a bit of blood and poo on her gown.

I tried my best to calm her down and told her I would call a taxi for her but really I phoned the police. Nurses and police showed up at almost the some time and the patient just kept screaming "No! I need to go home! I need my husband!" It was very sad.

The second Patient was a man in his late 40s to early 50s. He was walking along the main road and was wobbling back and forth. I thought he was just some drunk at first but then I noticed he only had boxers on and was covered in a pale blue blanket which I know is used at that hospital.

He was waving down every car that passed by and asking (demanding) a lift home. I heard one driver shout out his window "Did you just walk out of hospital!" to which the patient replied "Look, just take me to [local town] " He walked up to me and before he said anything, I said "Oh are you trying to get to [local town] your best just waiting her at this bus stop, the bus will be here in 5 mins" He smiled and said "Thanks darling I'll do that! " I walked on a little and phoned the police telling them where he was.

I feel really sorry for both of them and I only called the police to ensure their safety and to help the nurses/doctors.

Think you did the right thing to call the police as they were clearly two vulnerable patients.

They don't sound like escapees from a secure psychiatric unit though.

This is such a strange thread. You know that they are psychiatric patients, even though they are dressed like non-psychiatric patients? How do you know this? And what makes you post about it on MN? What do you hope to gain from this? If you have concerns, approach the hospital. No one on social media can magic an answer to what is presumably a very unusual and specific set of failures.

I feel that your thread title is a contribution to the moral panic about the potential threat to others of people at large in the world with uncontrolled or poorly controlled mental health problems, so I want to say that, if there were two mental health patients struggling in the circumstances that you mention, then you and your son out for a walk are fine. Just fine.

Mental health nurse with 40 plus years experience here.
Patients do not wear hospital gowns whilst an inpatient.
How do you know what blankets the hospital uses?🤔

Sounds more like 1st has dementia and the second was a criminal trying to get home before he's found out

I’m a mental health nurse of a number of years as well and so is my husband. We’ve never seen mental health patients in hospital gowns either in an inpatient setting