Young people 'restrained too often' at health units

Young people on mental heath wards have been restrained and secluded too often, a watchdog has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded Marlborough House in Swindon, Wiltshire, and two wards at Warneford Hospital in Oxfordshire from "good" overall to "requires improvement".

The trust has been rated as "good" in two areas - namely positive interactions between staff and young people and the range of care and treatment options available.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the wards, said its "focus was firmly on the wellbeing" of people in its care and added it was using the CQC's feedback to "support ongoing improvements".

Last year, plans were put in place to reduce restrictive interventions at Highfield Unit in Warneford Hospital and Marlborough House, which were in the upper quartile for restraints nationally.

However, when the CQC made an unannounced visited in November 2025 following a safety concern, it found these action plans had not worked and incidents had increased.

In its report, which was published in April, the watchdog said: "The service did not ensure that restraint and seclusion were only used when it was necessary to prevent harm to the young person, and that it was the least restrictive option.

"Records did not always show that staff had offered therapeutic interventions or attempted de-escalation before restraining young people or administering rapid tranquillisation."

Two patients from Meadow Unit at Warneford Hospital said staff sometimes threatened to restrain them, while two patients at Highfield and Marlborough House reported negative experiences during restraint.

Inspectors also found staff did not ensure patients were monitored after they had been tranquilised.

The report said the 10 patients they spoke to across the wards did not feel involved in their care plans and said they were too generic or did not reflect their wishes. Two said they felt punished if they did not comply, the CQC reported.

In terms of the areas which the trust was rated as "good", the range of care and treatment options available included accessing specialists, time to exercise and opportunities for music, nature and animal therapy.

The CQC also found patients were supported by an experienced, qualified team with the right skills and knowledge to meet their needs and staff treated young people with dignity and respect.

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