Health and social care bosses have rejected a whistleblower’s claims that the new mental health facility at Manannan Court is ’at breaking point’.

The £7.2m acute mental health unit, located on the Noble’s Hospital site, only opened in 2017, replacing the out-of-date inpatient facilities at Grianagh Court.

Safety was said to be the number one focus in its design.

But an anonymous whistleblower, who says they are a long-serving member of DHSC staff, has contacted iomtoday.

They claim the service offered in the Harbour suite in Manannan Court is ’now at breaking point’ and they feel they have no choice but to expose the situation.

The whistleblower alleges self harm is ’rife’, primarily because the clients know if they do this the consultant will not discharge them.

They said: ’Personality disorders should not be kept in hospital for longer than 72 hours and is proven to make the condition worse.

’Clients are self harming everyday and use ligatures. The ligatures are always made by clients when the ward round is going to occur so they are not discharged.

’Whilst they are indeed in need of care, this is best achieved in the community with support from outreach teams.’

The whistleblower said one woman was recently discharged despite being clearly psychotic in favour of keeping a client with behaviour problems in the ward.

They questioned why clients were allowed to keep mobile phones on the ward, alleging they are used to self harm and to communicate when to ’act up’.

In other allegations, the whistleblower claims 21 clients are admitted to the 14-bed Harbour suite, resulting in the need to ’hot swap’ beds every day to accommodate them and use the elderly ward as an overspill.

’Would you like your grandparents to be among people who self harm or suffer from paranoid schizophrenia?’ they asked.

They allege there is low morale among staff who ’have to endure 14 hour shifts’.

Recently out of a team of 32, nine were off sick at once, ’making the ward unsafe’, they claim. Staff from the elderly ward have to provide cover.

’The nursing team within the ward are excellent. They are aghast at what happens and it is no wonder they all leave after a year or two,’ the whistleblower said.

The whistleblower’s claims come as Tynwald this week debated a select committee report which calls for more funding for the stretched and under-funded mental health service.

In response, the DHSC said it hadn’t been made aware of the issues raised through internal whistle-blowing procedure. It urged any staff members with concerns to raise them through this channel, the Safeguarding Board or the Chief Secretary.

’Concerns relating to the well-being of vulnerable people in the department’s care, and the staff who look after them, are taken very seriously,’ it said.

The DHSC spokesman said staffing in the acute in-patient unit at Manannan Court has increased over the past 12 months and are higher than at Grianagh Court. Any periods of sickness are covered by bank staff.

A shift pattern, brought in after consultation with staff and unions, sees staff rostered for two 12 hour 15 minute shifts, two short shifts and three days off per week.

An inspection by the Mental Health Commission reported that staff morale was ’very good’.

In terms of patients’ stay in the facility or care in the community, each case is considered carefully on an individual basis,’ the spokesman said.

Those with a sole diagnosis of a personality disorder are usually discharged within 72 hours but this depends on the complexity of the presentation and risk to themselves or others.

All incidents of self-harm in the unit are recorded and the figures for the past six months are substantially lower than has been alleged.

Manannan Court is not a secure unit and therefore nursing staff are of course, not in a position to remove or confiscate mobile phones or devices, the spokesman said.

* Since this was reported in the Examiner this week, a second member of staff has come forward to support the whistleblower’s claims. Read their account in next week’s Examiner.