'A hospital worker WhatsApped my mental breakdown'

A patient whose mental breakdown was secretly filmed by an NHS worker and shared on WhatsApp says she has been left feeling “dirty, angry and confused”.

Julie Trafford’s moments of crisis were recorded after she was admitted to the Becklin Centre in Leeds.

The NHS trust, which described the recording as an "isolated incident", confirmed that the staff member still worked for them, despite the breach.

The trust, which has apologised, said it was now considering recommendations made by England’s healthcare regulator, after five complaints about Mrs Trafford's care were upheld.

Mrs Trafford, 52, has struggled with mental health issues since her 20s and had been sectioned a number of times before.

Being sectioned is when someone with a mental disorder is detained in hospital, under the Mental Health Act 1983, for treatment and assessment.

Following the death of her parents three years ago, Mrs Trafford said things had become more difficult for her.

She was admitted to the Becklin Centre on 2 October 2023 and had a breakdown shortly afterwards.

Before she was discharged on 18 October, Mrs Trafford was handed a letter by a member of management. It said seven videos had been taken of her and shared on a WhatsApp group without her consent.

The group, with about 20 people, included some NHS colleagues - but others were members of the public.

The letter said the videos had been quickly deleted.

In the footage, which the BBC has viewed, Mrs Trafford appeared distressed as she tried to escape the unit.

She could be seen repeatedly kicking and punching the front door in the hospital’s reception.

A later video showed Mrs Trafford being restrained by several members of staff.

She told the BBC she didn’t remember much of the incident, adding: “I felt trapped and wanted to get away from the ward."

A year on, Mrs Trafford said she was "still deeply upset" about the incident.

"Why would someone do that?" she said.

"Especially the NHS employees. It is totally out of order.”

The news that the worker who recorded and shared the footage had not lost their job has left Mrs Trafford and husband Andrew in a state of disbelief.

"I personally thought it was a given that he wouldn’t keep his job,” said Mrs Trafford.

“I would have hoped that they wouldn’t want someone like that in their company.”

Mr Trafford added: “These people need to be held to account for brushing this under the carpet, because that’s what it feels like to us.”

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England, has since upheld five complaints the couple made against the trust about the videos and Mrs Trafford’s treatment.

It made several recommendations, including that the trust should clarify whether the staff member involved remained in a patient-facing role at the centre.

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation trust is obliged to respond to the CQC’s recommendations within a month.

The trust’s chief executive, Dr Sara Munro, said she regretted the "hurt caused by the unacceptable actions of one member of staff" in this "upsetting case."

She said she wanted to reassure people “that they are safe in the care of the Trust”.

Marjorie Wallace, CEO of mental health charity Sane, said Mrs Trafford’s experience was "profoundly sad and shocking”.

She added that the charity was receiving an increasing number of reports from those "too afraid to entrust the care of a loved one to the inpatient psychiatric services".

Mrs Trafford, whose mental health is now more stable, said she had lost trust in the Becklin Centre.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go there if this can happen,” she added.

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Since the BBC highlighted the issue to the government, Mrs Trafford’s MP, Richard Burgon, has written to the trust for more information about their investigation.

The Information Commissioner's Office, the public body for data protection, said it was assessing the incident too.

A Department of Health spokesperson said it was a “hugely concerning” case, and added: ”We expect NHS organisations to take allegations of staff misconduct very seriously and investigate incidents properly.

“Everyone dealing with mental health issues deserves to be looked after with dignity and respect.”