A psychiatric hospital in Maidenhead which has seen a number of reports of welfare issues and sexual assault allegations has been given a final warning by the care watchdog.

In a damning report released on Friday, March 24, the CQC has slammed Taplow Manor for being "unfit for purpose".

Taplow Manor is a specialist child and adolescent mental health inpatient service managed by Active Care Group.

The service previously operated under the name Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead.

It provides specialist mental health services for adolescents and young people from 12 to 18 years of age.

Recently, the hospital has faced a series of scandals as welfare issues and rape allegations have come to light from previous service users.

The new CQC report reads: "Tamar ward remained unfit for purpose. This had been a concern in the last three inspections."

It documents that the facility is "unclean" and with ward furniture in a "state of disrepair", while the walls are covered with graffiti and peeling paint.

However, the CQC did notice improvements in treatment programmes and "staff understood how to safeguard patients and were compliant with safeguarding training".

"Staff treated young people with kindness and respect. Staff supported young people and involved their families or carers," the report added.

Despite this, children at the Kennet ward told Ofsted: "new staff or staff who cover from other wards as well as agency staff will sometimes say and do inappropriate things as they don’t understand eating disorders."

Following the CQC's visit on December 13, the hospital has been placed in "special measures" and will undergo increased surveillance, while it seeks to improve on a number of points raised by Ofsted.

These include:

  • Ward areas must be clean and fit for purpose
  • Improvements in training, documentation and patient observation
  • Young people must be involved with their care plan

Taplow Manor was warned that they risk losing its license should it fail to address the concerns raised.

In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for Active Care Group said: “We do not accept this rating as a fair assessment of Taplow Manor. We feel this is a reaction to recent media reports citing unsubstantiated allegations and the rating is disproportionate to the findings and the improvements that have been made.”

The CQC comes as police continue to investigate an allegation of rape at Taplow Manor.

Thames Valley Police were notified of the report on November 3, 2023, which documented the alleged incident from 2019 involving a girl who was a patient at Taplow Manor.

The incident at the private hospital in Maidenhead was reported to the police by a third party.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "The force is conducting a thorough investigation into the allegation.

"No arrests have been made at this stage of the investigation."