Celebrity rehab clinic The Priory is branded UNSAFE after a spate of 'suicides' including the death of a millionaire company boss who was found hanged less than three hours after he was admitted

Britain’s leading rehab clinic The Priory has been branded ‘unsafe’ in a devastating report by an official watchdog, following a series of suicides and self-harming incidents by patients.

In the most recent case, millionaire company chairman Stephen Bantoft, 49, is understood to have hanged himself less than three hours after checking into an acute psychiatric wing at the hospital.

The father of three had not been seen by a doctor.

His death was one of two suicides in the hospital last year, and one of ten ‘serious incidents of self-harm’ involving ligatures in the three months prior to March.

Following Mr Bantoft’s death last December, the West Wing of the hospital in Roehampton, south-west London, was closed for two weeks for urgent modifications.

Britain’s leading rehab clinic The Priory (pictured) has been branded ‘unsafe’ in a devastating report by an official watchdog, following a series of suicides and self-harming incidents by patients

But even after reopening, an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that the hospital, which has treated celebrities including Kate Moss, Amy Winehouse and Robbie Williams, was littered with hazards for vulnerable patients.

A family friend told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Bantoft’s wife Lucinda has taken her husband to The Priory last December after he was referred by a psychiatrist.

He was admitted to a room on the West Wing, where she stayed with him for about two hours.

The friend said: ‘Throughout that time, he was given no medication and wasn’t even seen by a doctor. 

'But Lucinda had to leave him to get back to her children, and made sure staff on duty knew what to look out for before she left. 

'He was dead within about half an hour.’

Mr Bantoft is the fourth apparent suicide in a Priory Group facility in as many years, and was the second at the Roehampton flagship hospital in 2015. 

An inquest into his death is due to be held later this year.

In the most recent case, millionaire company chairman Stephen Bantoft (pictured with wife Lucinda), 49, is understood to have hanged himself less than three hours after checking into an acute psychiatric wing at the hospital

The catalogue of faults highlighted in the CQC’s new 40-page report deals a blow to the group, which charges private patients £6,800 a week before treatments.

Among the problems cited were:

•  Reliance on temporary staff, with up to 51 per cent used in one wing at nights;

• Old buildings with long corridors and blind spots, often on several levels, making supervision difficult;

• Potential ‘ligature anchors’ in many places, including in the dimly lit garden, to which patients had unrestricted access;

• Evidence of same-sex ward rules being breached with men in rooms on female wards and vice versa.

The Priory Group boasts a £520 million turnover, 85 per cent of which comes from the NHS and local authorities, with operating profits of £74 million in 2014.

Under the ‘safety’ criteria, the CQC report judges The Priory’s acute wards for adults of working age and psychiatric intensive care unit services ‘inadequate’ – the worst possible rating. 

Overall, in four out of five criteria, the hospital was found to ‘require improvement’.

The report adds: ‘The layout of the hospital and the wards made it very hard for staff to observe patients who were at risk of self-harm. 

'There were ligature risks throughout the hospital. There were a high number of incidents in the last year involving ligatures.’

Mr Bantoft, from Clapham, South-West London, was chairman and founder of property development firm Cannock Group. 

Paying tribute to her husband on Facebook, Mrs Bantoft wrote: ‘We all loved you, but we couldn’t save you... we will never forget your presence in our lives.’

A hospital spokesman said: ‘We take this report extremely seriously, and are already delivering a significant programme of investment to improve the physical environment, alongside a further £500,000 to address the concerns raised by the CQC.’

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.

All they wanted was my money

Comment by Gail Porter 

Gail (pictured) hosts a Comedy in Reality Television workshop at the Edinburgh Fringe Funny Women Weekend on Saturday

In 2005 I was very depressed and vulnerable. One day I unwittingly overdosed on medication and was taken to an NHS hospital to get my stomach pumped. 

It wasn’t a suicide attempt, just a silly mistake, because I lost track of time and over-medicated. At the hospital it was recommended that I go to a facility that could deal with my kind of depression, so I was taken to The Priory.

I remember it was all very formal at the desk. I had to sign in and was taken to a tiny little room and just left there for maybe 20 minutes or so. I was a bit dazed and confused, and I remember feeling very isolated.

A lady came to see me with a clipboard in her hand; she compared me to a car running out of petrol and not functioning properly. I just thought it was such a clichéd analogy.

There was a lot of paperwork and when she got to the final bit, she said: ‘Right, well it’s £5,000 a week, are you going to pay by credit card?’ I thought I was just coming in for an assessment – I didn’t really understand what was going on. 

Once she realised that I didn’t have that kind of money, she told me I should order a cab.

I understand it’s a business, but at that point on that day, it was all a bit daunting.

I remember walking down the long corridors and thinking: ‘How on earth do I get out of here?’, ‘Where’s my taxi?’ and ‘I hope it’s got petrol – unlike me!’

So I got the cab and went home alone and slept, which was all I wanted to do. Later on I ended up at an NHS facility, which was dire, and after that another clinic called Clouds, which was amazing.

Over time, I started eating more healthily, running and exercising more, and I eventually came off the medication. 

I’m not recommending it for everyone, but it worked for me and I’ve never felt better.

There’s not the right kind of help out there for a lot of people and unfortunately a lot of it is money-based. 

If you can’t afford the right kind of help, people feel that they have nowhere to go.

I’ve had friends who’ve been to The Priory and they have found it to be really beneficial, but this was my brief experience of the place.

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.