Commenting on the announcement by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales that Hillview mental health hospital has had its registration suspended, Rocio Cifuentes MBE said:
“We have had concerns over the provision at Hillview Hospital for a number of years. Most recently in the summer of 2022, I visited the setting in response to concerns brought to my office by families of children then placed at the hospital. I raised my concerns with the Inspectorate, Commissioning Body and Welsh Government. In response to recommendations contained with our annual report later that year, the Government committed to ensuring sufficient specialist support for young people in Wales.
“A year on, and another damming report from the inspectors. And yet we are still without a clear roadmap from Government on how we care for children with the highest level of mental health needs. Critically, we are without a dedicated secure therapeutic setting for children and young people who require specialist mental health support in Wales. Young people and their families deserve better and I will be raising again with Government what their short-term plan is to make sure there is support available in Wales, fit for children in Wales, and second, with inspectors for clarity about why a setting has been allowed to operate for so long when the same failings were apparent for several years.”