Police probe hospital abuse claims

Health workers hit, threatened and humiliated patients, withheld food and drink, locked them in cupboards and drove them to well-known sex spots for their amusement, according to the leaked NHS report.

There are 44 allegations of abuse detailed in the report allegedly carried out by nursing assistants at the Solar Centre in the grounds of St Catherine's Hospital, Balby, Doncaster.

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health Trust which runs the centre has apologised to patients and families for "failing to protect" those in its care.

Detectives carried out an initial investigation but no prosecutions were brought because of a lack of evidence.

But this prompted an internal review and police have now re-opened the case.

The report details allegations of abuse by four workers at the centre.

It says 31 of the alleged 44 incidents happened between November 2005 and March 2007 and were witnessed by nine staff members.

One of the accused workers quit after the investigation and the other three no longer work at the centre.

As well as the allegations of physical abuse, staff were said to have left patients on a minibus while they did their personal shopping and played cards.

The minibus, taken out for a hiking trip, was also parked in an area "known to be frequented by people seeking sexual gratification" for the entertainment of staff, says the report.

Two of the accused employees, named only as A and B, were in a relationship and were responsible for 42 of the alleged incidents, says the report.

Other workers were intimidated by A who used "aggressive and inappropriate language" and boasted of "having dealt" with a patient.

Staff member C was subject to two allegations and D was party to three incidents where A was present.

All the accused were said to have denied any wrongdoing, claiming other workers were jealous of their friendship.

Patients could not be interviewed about the allegations because they had limited communication abilities.

Ian Jerams, chief operating officer for the trust, said it started its own serious investigation procedures in 2008 after legal proceedings were dropped.

He said: "The internal trust disciplinary process was completed by the end of November, 2008. The majority of the allegations were proven."

Relatives of victims were invited to a meeting to discuss the report's findings.

One of the patient's relatives, who asked not to be named said: "I wonder why it never went to court. There were nine witnesses but police told me there was no evidence.

"It makes you worry. You feel like you can't trust anyone."

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Fenwick of South Yorkshire Police said: "I have requested a copy of the report.

"This will be reviewed and if additional evidence is present or further allegations have been highlighted then consideration will be given to re-opening this investigation."