Sir Keir Starmer has said that there are “serious concerns and serious questions to be asked” about a North East NHS trust after patients have come forward alleging that they were bullied and mocked whilst being treated at a Darlington hospital.

This week, The Northern Echo has published the accounts of three women, who were treated at West Park Hospital, a psychiatric unit run by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley, between 2015 and 2022.

They have alleged that staff would “rip into patients”, would ignore pleas for help with domestic violence, and even told a patient in crisis to “go home and die.”

The accounts have revealed cross-party unity, with Darlington’s Conservative MP Peter Gibson saying that he “shares the deep concern”, about TEWV.

The centre is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and re-inspected to check sufficient improvements have been made. CQC have taken enforcement action, which is still in place. 

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Labour Party leader Sir Keir said: “The first thing I would like to say is that my thoughts are with the families of the three girls. It’s unimaginable what they are going through and it’s very important we have them uppermost in our minds.

“I do think there are serious causes of concern and serious questions to be asked so there needs to be a process in place for those questions to be answered, not just for the families but for the other communities that are reliant on the care and health facilities in Tees NHS.”

But the Department of Health and Social Care has said they have commissioned “an independent rapid review” of inpatient services. This does not prevent any future inquiries into the Trust. 

This follows scrutiny of Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust after the tragic deaths of three teenagers in their care. In March, an independent investigation found that the 2019 deaths of Christie Harnett, and Nadia Sharif, both 17, were the result of the care provided at West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Additionally, the family of Matthew Gale, who took his own life at Northallerton train station on Mother’s Day, have claimed that “compassionless care” at West Park Hospital led to his death.

Mr Gibson said: “I share the deep concern that many in our community have about TEWV. My constituency caseload contains many issues relevant to TEWV and I have sought to work with TEWV to resolve many of these.

“I have raised these concerns in debates in the commons, tabled questions on the issue and met with the Health Minister on multiple occasions. TEWV is undergoing a rapid review by the Government.

Read next: Family claim West Park hospital, Darlington, was 'compassionless'

“We want every community to have the best mental health provision and we still have some way to go before we can say that here. I understand the calls for a public enquiry, which will cost considerable sums, and take a period of time.

“My preference is that TEWV sees and hears the concerns from our community and steps up to the plate to sort itself out.”

Mr Gibson has also asked any of his constituents who have been affected by issues at West Park Hospital and TEWV to get in touch, so their cases can be added to the catalogue of issues shared with the Department of Health.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Anyone receiving treatment in an inpatient mental health facility should receive safe, high-quality and compassionate care and to be treated with dignity and respect.

“We have commissioned an independent rapid review, focusing on the data and evidence currently available to inpatient services and how we can use this more effectively to  identify patient safety risks and failures in care.

“However, the rapid review does not preclude any future inquiries and ministers are considering all options.”