CCTV shows Blackpool nurses vaping and scrolling on phones while young patient prepares to take his own life

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CCTV footage from a mental health unit in Blackpool shows nurses vaping, playing with each other’s hair, and scrolling on their phones while a patient prepared to end his own life.

Bren McFarlane was admitted to The Harbour in Blackpool in October 2022, and a jury has since ruled that he had been “neglected” by the area’s NHS trust before the end of his life.

The 20-year-old was found unresponsive less than 24 hours after at the 154-bed mental health hospital which provides care and treatment for adults who cannot be safely treated at home.

CCTV footage of the nurses, released as part of an inquest into Mr McFarlane’s death, captures one nurse sitting on a surface while playing on her phone while another does her colleague's hair.