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" NHS staff working at a treatment centre in Cornwall for people with learning disabilities have been abusing their patients for years, it has been claimed.  A report published today by the Healthcare Commission finds that staff at Budock hospital near Falmouth in Cornwall have been guilty of physical, emotional and environmental abuse and &amp;quot;misuse of people&amp;#039;s money&amp;quot; - and blames senior health executives in the Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust for failing to detect these practices.  Among the abuses named in the report are the withholding of food, enforced cold showers, and the hitting, pushing and dragging of patients.  Part of the reason why these &amp;quot;illegal&amp;quot; activities were not detected is the relatively small size of Budock Hospital &#150; only 18 inpatients regularly live at the treatment centre.  However, over two thirds of the 46 people living in supported houses found that &amp;quot;unacceptable restrictions&amp;quot; were placed upon their movements by NHS staff.  One inpatient was tied down for 16 hours a day to their bed or wheelchair &amp;quot;for what staff wrongly believed was for that person&amp;#039;s own protection&amp;quot;. Many others were locked in their rooms or other areas of the hospital when their behaviour became aggressive.  &amp;quot;Our Cornwall investigation report highlights unacceptable standards of care. People with learning difficulties and their families have been let down,&amp;quot; said Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, and David Behan, chief inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, in a joint statement.  &amp;quot;We hope they are reassured that what we have put in place has stabilised the situation and will improve services in Cornwall for the future.  &amp;quot;In light of these events, it is right to ask about the state of these services around the country. Both our organisations have serious concerns that the quality of care is not always what it should be.&amp;quot;  Responding to the report, the Healthcare Commission has called on the secretary of state for health, Patricia Hewitt, to place Budock Hospital under &amp;quot;special measures&amp;quot;. The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service has been notified about the restrictive and &amp;quot;inappropriate&amp;quot; way in which personal finances of patients were manipulated by staff.  &amp;quot;Now we must ensure that those running services well can share knowledge with those who need to improve,&amp;quot; the joint statement continued.  &amp;quot;It is very important to identify all of the things that are going well, as well as those that are not.&amp;quot;  The Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection plan on a national audit and inspection programme of every healthcare provider, whether in the NHS or independent, to be completed by the end of 2007. \u00A9 Adfero Ltd "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a13909/nhs-staff-abused-patients/>