A confidential government report has condemned a new privately financed hospital for the mentally ill and people with lifelong learning difficulties for putting the lives of 300 patients and staff at risk. It has breached every section of the fire safety code, claims the document.
The findings, seen by the Guardian, found short-comings "in each of the five key areas of documentation, design, construction, operation and management" at the £47m Newsam Centre at Seacroft hospital in Leeds.
Two other centres, also run by the Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, were criticised in the report carried out by inspectors from NHS Estates. They were the Becklin centre in Burmantofts and the Mount near Leeds General Infirmary - all built in 2002-03.
The Newsam Centre was singled out. Four patient suicides have taken place at the centre over the last four years, including one who was left undiscovered for four days in an out of order bathroom on one of the sites. The coroner felt the trust had been negligent in keeping patients under proper observation.
The trade union Amicus is demanding a public inquiry into how the project, which comes under the umbrella of the government's private finance initiative, came to breach basic fire standards when it was built in 2002. One of the companies involved in the construction has gone bust, which means the taxpayer may have to foot an expected £5m bill for improvements.
The report reveals the design and construction of the building fell short of the requirements for an inpatient facility for the mentally ill. The building has curving corridors which make both patient observation and quick evacuation difficult, and was constructed without proper fire protection materials in the wall and floor joints.
Patients were using mattresses and chairs with below-standard fire retardant materials and could smoke in rooms where they could not be easily observed.
The fire safety manual was described as very poor and the fire safety procedure consisted of a "post it note" marked "to be provided by the trust".
Gail Cartmail, Amicus' national officer for health, said: "The main concern for Amicus is patient safety, which this report suggests may be compromised by poor design. Especially concerning is the alleged poor provision for patient observation. The report's recommendations are many and far reaching. We think the public will want to know the three units are safe and fit for purpose and that any remedial work needing to carried out should not come from the public purse."
A Leeds trust statement said last night: "The trust is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of issues raised in the reports, including key issues of design, construction, operation and management. We are working in partnership with all parties concerned to resolve both the immediate and longer-term issues.
"All three PFI units were built in compliance with building regulations as specified by Leeds city council, and have full fire certification. They are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by professional staff who are trained in fire safety and prevention.
"All the units are regularly inspected by the trust's fire officer. At no point have we been asked to close any wards by West Yorkshire fire brigade."
