More rape claims on psychiatric wards

[25 September 2008]

New figures have revealed that 435 patients reported being sexually assaulted on NHS psychiatric wards last year.

This includes 15 people who said they had been raped. The figures, which were released under the Freedom of Information Act, were for reported assaults and not confirmed cases. The figures cover 52 of the 72 mental health trusts in England. The information shows that the number of rapes have risen to 18% and that sexual assaults have risen by 11%. However, Louis Appleby, the Government's mental health director, has questioned the accuracy of the information, revealing that following investigations into the alleged rapes, it was concluded that the majority were unlikely to have actually taken place. Some of the patients, who were seriously ill, were believed to have delusions of being assaulted by people, or even machines, and would wake up, find their clothes on the floor, and conclude that they had been raped.

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