Former patients report assaults inside locked mental health wards

Former patients report assaults inside Queensland's locked mental health wards Former patients say they have been physically attacked and experienced sexual misconduct in locked mental health wards across regional Queensland, as advocates call for frequent independent inspections of these facilities. Queensland has not set up an independent body to regularly inspect its locked mental health wards almost a decade after Australia agreed to do so under an international treaty. The ABC has spoken with former patients and advocates who want regular checks, similar to those carried out at the state's prisons and youth detention facilities. Some names in this story have been changed for legal and safety reasons. 'I was really scared' Bella (not her real name) was an involuntary patient at Mackay Base Hospital's inpatient mental health unit last year and believes the locked wards need more oversight. She said she was watching a movie in the ward's communal room when a male patient sat down next to her and made a sexual advance towards her. "I was in there by myself, and he touched my legs and asked me to come into the bathroom with him," she said. "He wanted me to do sexual activities with him in the psych ward. I was really scared, and I couldn't really get out of the room that I was in." When the man eventually left, Bella called the Queensland Police Service (QPS). "The hospital had taken my phone off me, so I used the communal phone to call the police," she said. Bella says the man had also made inappropriate comments about her body, and other men had exposed themselves to her while she was in the ward. There were 19 complaints about sexual misconduct related to a mental health service provided by a hospital and health service to Queensland's Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2026. Of these 19 complaints, four were investigated by OHO, and one resulted in immediate action being taken, according to data from the Health Ombudsman. Organisations involved in the sector believe the actual figures to be higher, according to a report by the Queensland Public Advocate. Bella does not believe she has a mental illness and said she was referred to mental health services after reporting to family and police that she had experienced domestic violence and cyberstalking. "I experienced extreme trauma while incarcerated in the psychiatric ward," she said. A QPS spokesperson said investigations into "a reported assault" at the hospital were ongoing, but police could not release any further information at this stage. A Mackay Hospital and Health Service spokesperson said a patient "was supported by nursing staff to contact police and report an incident of sexual harassment". "The safety of everyone in our facilities is our number one priority, and there is zero tolerance for aggression or any actions that make anyone feel unsafe," the spokesperson said. 'Physically attacked' in a shared ward Elsie (not her real name) says she was physically attacked by a male patient while she was an involuntary patient in Caboolture Hospital's mental health ward last year. At the time, she says she was sleeping in a high-security unit with men and women. Elsie said a man in her unit was smashing his head against a glass screen as he was distressed about needing water. She said another patient headbutted and punched her in the face after she asked him how they could help the other man. The ABC has spoken with a friend of Elsie's who said that when he picked her up from the ward a few days later, she had slight swelling on her face and had reported being punched. He also recalled speaking with staff with knowledge of the alleged incident. A Metro North Health spokesperson said they were unable to provide details about Elsie's care due to privacy and confidentiality issues. The spokesperson said if patients experienced physical altercations, the hospital took "immediate action to separate patients and ensure the safety and wellbeing of those in our care". "While there are no separate male or female wards at Caboolture Hospital mental health, we keep consumers safe and comfortable and adjust the patient mix or attempt to relocate patients to another area if needed," the spokesperson said. Elsie believed she was not treated with the compassionate care she required during a difficult time for her mental health. "I just felt really belittled. They would ask me, ' Do you want to do a wee-wee in the cup for us?' And I'm like, if you want me to do a urine sample, you can just ask that." She said, at one stage, she slept on a mattress in a living room area due to a lack of beds. A Metro North Health spokesperson said that happened infrequently. "A consumer may be temporarily accommodated in a communal area of an MHICU [Mental Health Intensive Care Unit], and this ensures they receive the specialist care provided in this environment," they said. "This allows staff time to review and adjust the patient mix within the MHICU before moving a consumer to an appropriate bed." Jupiter (not their real name) said they have been a patient at multiple locked mental health wards across regional Queensland. They said during hospital stays related to their eating disorder, they had experienced inappropriate behaviour by some staff. "You'll get male staff members … being, like, ' Would you like me to help you take off your bra [before showering]?' Because you know, you're physically weak." Jupiter said mental health patients were often not believed when they raised complaints. "There's a huge factor … where we doubt people, and we don't view them as credible because of their diagnosis," they said. The ABC has spoken with two other former patients in regional hospitals who complained about a lack of communication and compassionate care in mental health wards. A former independent patient rights adviser who worked in regional Queensland said they had also witnessed staff ignoring patients. "[Patients] would be waiting and waiting," they said. "Some of them didn't have a great deal of confidence, but it must be something so important that they'd sacrifice their coping to stand there." The adviser, who cannot be named for fear of repercussions, said they witnessed some doctors playing "Chinese checkers or a merry-go-round with medications". "They think, well, if this doesn't work, we'll just try this," they said. "I think sometimes the staff gave people medication to keep them quiet." The adviser said regular independent inspections would improve transparency. "[Patients and their families] need to be reassured and know that Queensland Health is providing a good service and not hiding anything," they said. Queensland Health did not respond to questions about Jupiter's case or the adviser's concerns. A Queensland Health spokesperson said the department was "committed to the safety, privacy and wellbeing of consumers, staff and visitors within inpatient environments". Detention needs to be 'humane' When Australia joined the UN's Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in December 2017, it was required to set up independent monitoring bodies for places of detention by January 2023. Queensland has since done this for youth detention centres and prisons through the Ombudsman's Inspector of Detention Services. But the state is yet to fully implement OPCAT for locked mental health wards. Matilda Alexander, chief executive of Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion, said the monitoring of places of disability detention was crucial. "The disability royal commission showed that violence, abuse and neglect are much more common in places of detention and where people are deprived of their liberty," she said. The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture cancelled a visit to Australia in February 2023 after being denied full access to mental health facilities in Queensland and detention facilities in NSW. The Queensland government has since passed laws to allow UN inspectors to visit locked mental health wards, but frequent inspections under an independent state body that complies with OPCAT are not occurring. Queensland public advocate John Chesterman said there were significant benefits to implementing OPCAT. "We have to be very careful that when we're detaining people, either in the obvious detention settings like prisons, but also in authorised mental health services, that detention is being carried out humanely and fairly," he said. Queensland's health minister was contacted for comment. The federal health minister's office said the matter was best handled by the state. A Queensland Health spokesperson said the department "is open to exploring opportunities to further enhance our facilities", but the state's mental health services were subject to "extensive oversight and accountability mechanisms". They said these included monitoring by the Office of the Health Ombudsman, the Queensland Human Rights Commission and the Office of Public Guardian. But Mr Chesterman said full OPCAT implementation was not achieved by those monitoring bodies alone. "Full OPCAT implementation requires nomination of a national preventive mechanism that oversees or coordinates all inspections of places of detention, which includes locked mental health facilities," he said. "While existing monitoring mechanisms could be utilised in meeting OPCAT obligations, their existence alone doesn't amount to OPCAT compliance."