Scandal-hit private hospital owner accused of ‘callous’ treatment of migrant workers

A scandal-hit private hospital owner, that was forced to close a unit following a series of reports by The Independent revealing poor care, has been accused of “callous” treatment towards its migrant care workers.

Active Care Group (ACG), which owns a number of hospitals formerly run by The Huntercombe Group, has been accused of treating dozens of migrant workers poorly following the closure of Taplow Manor Hospital in Maidenhead.

The group made the decision to shut inpatient mental health services for children and young people at the hospital after a series of investigations by The Independent and Sky News exposed allegations of “systemic abuse” from more than 50 patients.

According to the GMB union, ACG gave a group of international care workers three days to consider whether they would relocate 150 miles away to work at one of its hospitals in Birmingham or take redundancy. This allegedly came after the organisation had already transferred some staff to another children’s hospital in Staffordshire, called Ivetsey Bank.

The GMB claimed overseas support workers on skilled worker visas were at risk of losing their right to work if they refused to relocate.

Natalie Grayson, GMB national care officer, said: “This is a callous and unfair attack on migrant workers caring for vulnerable people. Active Care Group have decided on a course of action that leaves GMB members in an impossible situation, with many of them now forced to consider moving.

“These workers provide an essential service to vulnerable people struggling with mental health issues; to treat them in this way is shocking.

“Our members are calling on Active Care Group to urgently step back from the brink on this”.

A spokesperson for Active Care Group said consultations with over 250 staff at Taplow Manor started on 19 April 2023 and would run until 18 July.

“We have been working with all members of staff since the beginning of the consultation period to provide alternative employment and accommodation and colleagues also have the option to stay at Taplow and go through the consultation process with other colleagues,” it said.

“Over 40 international colleagues were offered the opportunity of moving to another ACG facility and were asked for their preference of service and given time to provide this. We have also offered all members of staff at Taplow Manor the opportunity to relocate to other services with the group.”

Lara Johnson, workplace representative for the union at Taplow Manor, told The Independent that workers who had been moved to Ivetsey Bank “are doing 12-hour shifts, some on nights and some on days, and they are expected to stay in accommodation which does not meet their basic needs”.

She added: “When not at work they have to eat pre-packed food or takeaways as there is no access to any facilities to cook or heat food. They also have no access to laundry facilities.”

A spokesperson for Active Care Group said the shift times were 12 hours for all full-time staff and there is a rotation between day and night shifts.

ACG said staff members were temporarily in a hotel with no kitchen or laundry facilities, however, they have a daily allowance for food in addition to hot meals provided at the hospital.

The statement added that staff were using the local laundrette whilst at the hotel and it is working with them to help source their own accommodation.

For all staff, ACG said it had been sharing information on vacancies and had sought staff preferences before any transfers.

Finally, it said a support package had been put in place for all staff and that it was providing financial support for anyone relocating to another service.

“We want to work collaboratively with the GMB to ensure that as small a number of staff as possible are made redundant through this process and to resolve all issues raised,” it said.

Taplow Manor Hospital and Ivetsey Bank have both faced scrutiny from the NHS’ safety watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, following The Independent’s reports.

Earlier this year, the NHS stopped admissions to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) units at Taplow Manor Hospital, following this paper’s exposes, prompting Active Care Group to close all services saying the operation was no longer viable.

Taplow Manor is also facing two police investigations – one into the death of a young female patient and another into the alleged rape of a child patient involving two staff members.

This article was amended on May 19 2023. It previously stated that ACG was formerly known as The Huntercombe Group, but this was inaccurate. ACG bought 12 of the Huntercombe Group sites in December 2021 including two children’s hospitals