Becklin Centre: Leeds man complains of 'negligence' after stepdaughter leaves mental health centre unaided and arrives home barefoot

The man, who has opted to remain anonymous to protect his stepdaughter’s identity, said that she walked home from the Becklin Centre to his home in Harehills last Friday (October 7) at around 5pm after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act two days prior.

He said that his stepdaughter – who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia – was being transferred between wards when she walked uninhibited through the entrance of the centre and made the half-mile journey home.

He said: “She walked through our front door, barefoot, in her pyjamas and in a confused and distressed state.

“When I contacted the ward, they had no idea where she was and said a member of staff had been unable ‘to keep up with her’.

"My step daughter is physically obese as a result of being a recluse, and was barefoot, so I considered that an outright lie.”

He said that he has since spoken to a manager on the ward and requested the member of staff responsible for his stepdaughter at the time she left be disciplined.

He said: “[My stepdaughter] was abandoned on the public highway to walk home.

"She has self harmed and attempted suicide in the past and anything could have happened to her on her journey home.

"She was distressed when she arrived home and was further distressed when forcibly removed by the police.

"Being in a delusional state she thought she was being taken to a concentration camp.”

The man said that his stepdaughter had started showing signs that her mental health was deteriorating the weekend before she was sectioned but attempts to call the crisis team were unanswered.

He said: “We’ve tried before and you’re left waiting for an hour just for a answer. It’s diabolical.

"It’s supposed to be for a crisis response, not just some information line.

"I don’t want this nonsense anymore. It’s serious stuff.”

The man said that his stepdaughter has escaped the ward and come home on a previous occasion when she was sectioned.

He said that his stepdaughter is now being looked after in a ward on the top floor and it is hoped that she can return home in the coming weeks.

He said: “I have been to try and see her but she won’t leave her room.

"As part of her mental state she will only see us in her room but they don’t allow that. I have tried to take her food because she won’t eat what they provide as she thinks they are trying to poison her.”

In response to the complaint, Dr Christian Hosker from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust apologised to the family for the “great deal of distress” the incident caused.

She said that an investigation into what happened was being conducted and that the stepfather had been contacted directly.

Dr Hosker said: “We’ve offered to meet him personally to discuss exactly what happened and feedback on the findings of our investigation.

“It is important to note that The Becklin Centre is not a locked unit as we have service users who are admitted voluntarily or detained under the Mental Health Act.”