Patient injuries at mental health trust rise

An increase in patient injuries at Surrey's largest mental health trust was due to the opening of an inpatient facility last year, the trust has said.

Data obtained by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) found injuries more than quadrupled in two years.

In 2023/24, 92 service user injuries were reported, rising to 365 incidents in 2024/25 and 431 in 2025/26 – more than one incident reported daily on average in the most recent complete financial year.

A total of 141 incidents had been reported in the ongoing 2026/27 financial year at the time of the FOI response, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

An SABP spokesperson told the LDRS that the increase was "due to the opening of Silverwood's inpatient services".

Silverwood, located in Chertsey, began admitting patients in February 2025 and was designed to help the trust care for acutely mentally ill people.

The facility has 64 ensuite bedrooms across four wards and was established to replace the old Abraham Cowley Unit (ACU).

The FOI response revealed major changes in the trust's use of restraint against acutely ill patients, with the reported number of "prone" restraints – where a patient is forced face down on the ground – dropping to zero in compliance with recent laws.

The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 was brought in to improve transparency in the use of such force in restraining patients, and contains guidance against the use of prone restraints.

Better known as Seni's Law, it was implemented following the death of Olaseni Lewis, who died in 2010 after being restrained at Bethlem Royal Hospital in Bromley.

The SABP spokesperson said not all patient injuries reported were related to restraint incidents.

While 20 prone restraint incidents were reported at the trust in the 2021/22 financial year, that number dropped into single figures for the following few years before reaching zero in 2025/26.

At the same time, the reported use of chemical restraints has risen substantially, with this jumping from 11 in 2022/23 to 830 in 2025/26 – and a further 333 in 2026/27 so far.

The trust spokesperson said "we record all cases when restrictive interventions are used in line with Seni's Law", adding that the majority of injuries "are not related to restraints".

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