DISAPPOINTED relatives said they had been left with ‘more questions than answers’ after an inquiry into a scandal-hit mental health ward rejected claims of institutional abuse or neglect. 

Results of a long-awaited investigation into patients’ care at the Tawel Fan ward - for elderly dementia patients - were published today. 

Tawel Fan, based at Bodelwyddan’s Glan Clwyd Hospital at the Ablett psychiatric unit, closed in 2013 following revelations about treatment of patients.

The new probe - by the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS) - said there was “no evidence” to support prior allegations that patients suffered from deliberate abuse or wilful neglect on the ward, but accepted there were systemic failures. 

A previous independent investigation, by Donna Ockenden in 2015, described patients being treated like “animals in a zoo”.

Relatives of patients who had been on the former ward spoke today of their anger and claimed there had been a "cover up". 

John Stewart said: “I have letters of apology. I have letters to say that your father in law’s death was avoidable."

Mr Stewart told that Journal he expected a lot ‘more’ from today.

A media briefing was held this morning in Rhyl, prior to a meeting with families. 

He added: “I’m disappointed there was no institutional abuse or wilful neglect found. 

“My family’s concerns were more about the care pathway going through Tawel Fan. 

"So, being admitted on to A&E during a crisis situation, moving on to the ward, poor medical treatment on the ward, perhaps some poor care, being transferred on to another unit, pretty much more of the same, then leading to death of the A&E unit.

“With today’s findings, I’m really confused. It doesn’t match my experience and all the other families.

“I’m astonished [they haven't found findings in connection with abuse]. I’ve sat in many meetings with these families and I have heard stories and I don’t believe you can make them up. 

“They don’t seem to be taking the evidence that the families presented to them. It seems to all be based on the written record. 

“The meeting [for families] was absolutely shambolic. The people running the meeting lost control of the room. It was pandemonium in there. 

“I have no idea at all where we go from here.”

Ann Jones, whose husband had been at Tawel Fan, said: “I visited Tawel Fan for 14 months consecutively, everyday. 

“I witnessed what they did to my husband. 

“Just before the ward closed they put my husband, at 5pm in the afternoon, in a dark room and shut the curtain, put the light off, and dumped him in bed and put a high back chair in the middle of the bed to stop him falling out or restrain him and shut the door - and I went back and that is what I found.

“The next day I had a meeting and they said it was in his care plan. That was not discussed with me, they had created a care plan.”

Mrs Jones also recalled another occasion when she found her husband in a pool of ‘stale urine.’

She added: “It was so stale, there was a brown rim around the edge.”

The latest investigation involved 108 families. 

The investigation panel concluded that the care and treatment provided on the Tawel Fan ward was of “good overall general standard” although key areas were identified where clinical practice and process required development and modernisation.

It was stated that despite problems with the system, there was no “evidence” to suggest that Tawel Fan was an environment where “abusive practice took place.”

The report said: “Nevertheless it was also identified that on occasions, the experience of some patients and their families was compromised due to a combinations of systemic failures exacerbated by significant financial restrictions, poor service design and ineffective governance arrangements.

"However, it should be understood that these issues were not as a result of any failings in relations to Tawel Fan ward per se, but were encountered by patients and their families across a wide range of services on the care pathway that they travelled.

“Tawel Fan was the common denominator in that of the 108 patients in the investigation cohort 105 were admitted onto the ward for a period of time.

"However, it is evident that many of the concerns and complaints raised by families did not relate to the ward and that a significant number of families had nothing but praise for the care and treatment their loved once received on Tawel Fan and for the kind and compassionate care provided by members of the treating team."

The independent report put forward 15 recommendations. 

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) said they accepted the report’s findings. 

The latest investigation made reference to the 2015 Ockenden external probe and noted: “The report received a great deal of media interest following publication and the caption ‘patients were treated like animals in a zoo’ became a well-recognised headline even though inaccurately quoted from the report.” 

Gary Doherty, chief executive of BCUHB, said: "The investigation found the overall standard of care on the ward to be generally good and found no evidence to support the view that patients suffered from deliberate abuse or wilful neglect. However, it found that some patients did not receive the standard of care that we would expect across our services. The report has also highlighted systemic organisational weaknesses that were present at that time which contributed to poor care.

"We accept the report's findings and are establishing a task-force led by the executive director of nursing and midwifery to build on our existing work programmes to take forward the recommendations, alongside our partners, at pace."