A YOUNG woman said she would have to be “dragged kicking and screaming” if she was sent back to a psychiatric ward where she was treated.

Nadia Wareham, 28, was cared for in Mill View Psychiatric Hospital in Hove after she had a breakdown.

She has decided to speak out about her “horrifying experiences” in the Caburn Ward where her close friend Bethany Tenquist was later found hanging.

Nadia said: “Alcohol was as easy to get as orange juice.

“And drugs – girls kept them in their bra and leggings. Beth and I would bring in two litres of vodka and they wouldn’t check us. We spent one entire afternoon at the pub and they didn’t care.”

Nadia, from Hove, said the care was so bad she ended up discharging herself because it was more dangerous for her in the ward than at home.

She said: “Once Beth and I were drinking some cleaning stuff, really strong and a member of staff grabbed us, shouting at us saying you stupid f***ing girls.

“We were ill and they treated us like that.

“They were then meant to check on us after that to make sure we weren’t poisoned but I remember them only checking once and just leaving us there.

“They found a ligature in her bedroom that she killed herself with for God’s sake. That place needs some change and they need to do it now.

“If I had to go back there in the state it is now I’d have to be dragged kicking and screaming.”

Nadia said girls had to keep razors and other items that were a potential risk to their health in boxes locked away in a room.

But according to her, the room was regularly left open and girls often had access to items that could be of harm.

She said: “There was a feel of a complete lack of care from staff in Mill View, there were a lot of people on zero hour contracts and a lot of staff coming in and out.

“I don’t think many people there were doing it because they genuinely cared, I don’t think people there really wanted to help in mental health, people are there just for a pay cheque.

“Beth was the most beautiful and intelligent girl and I think if she didn’t have that access to alcohol then she wouldn’t have killed herself.”

Nadia was speaking after it was revealed in an NHS report that on average, psychiatric patients are dying at a rate of more than two a week in the care of Sussex Partnership Trust which runs Mill View.

In response to Nadia’s complaints, a trust spokesman said: “While we cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, we want to stress that the safety and wellbeing of people under our care is always our top priority.

“We are aware that concerns of a similar nature were raised in February this year and we want to reassure people that we listen to and act on any concerns raised about the care that we provide.

“In this case we took immediate action to provide clearer guidance to patients and visitors about items that are not allowed on the wards and strengthened the process for checking the return of items given to patients.

“We are a trust committed to learning and taking action and we always encourage patients, their families and carers to come to us with any issues that they may have.

“We would be keen to hear directly from the individual who has raised these concerns.”

The alarming death rate statistics are revealed in the newly published NHS Patient Safety Incident Data. They show psychiatric patients dying at a rate of more than two a week due to “unintended incidents” under the care of Sussex Partnership Trust.

Fifty four people died in six months due to “patient safety incidents”.

It is not clear exactly how many of these deaths were suicides.

The latest figures have sparked serious concerns for the safety of patients at the trust.

Only three out of the 84 mental health trusts in England registered more deaths due to patient safety incidents between April and September last year.

These can include self-harm, disruptive or aggressive behaviour, accidents and incidents relating to treatment and procedures.

Lancashire Care had the highest figure with 110.

According to NHS guidelines, they include “any unintended or unexpected incident” which could cause patients harm.

A Sussex Partnership spokeswoman said: “We serve a population of more than a million people and provide care, treatment and support to people who are often at their most vulnerable. The figures quoted in this report include people who have sadly taken their own lives. We are working with our partners and communities across Sussex to reduce suicide rates.

“The Care Quality Commission recently carried out an inspection of our services.

“In their report they noted clear progress in several areas since their last inspection, highlighting our work to drive improvement across our services and a significant improvement in the quality of care we provide. The trust was rated ‘good’ overall, and our staff ‘outstanding’ for caring.

“We believe that reporting patient safety and other serious incidents helps promote an open culture where everyone at Sussex Partnership is encouraged to continuously learn and improve. We investigate all reported incidents to identify what changes may be needed to our clinical practice.

“This helps us continue improving care and treatment for the patients, families and communities we serve.”

The figures were obtained by medical negligence solicitors Blackwater Law. Jason Brady, a partner at the firm, said: “It is critical that NHS trusts focus on providing safe and effective care.

“Patient safety incident statistics provide important transparency about all reported safety incidents.”

Mr Brady said the figures would “concern the public” and “warrant attention and action at the highest levels of NHS management”.