‘Making a video of me sleeping in the ward ruined my mental health’

CCTV and cameras are not uncommon in mental health wards, used with the intention of keeping patients safe. But some people say the new technology, where cameras even monitor their pulse and breathing in their bedrooms, is increasing their feelings of paranoia and in some cases making them more unwell.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists and mental health charity Rethink have now said they want to see the rollout of the technology halted.

“It feels like the big brother is always watching you – it’s really scary as a mental health patient, especially if you’re experiencing paranoia,” said Hatt, 27.

“It also takes away your privacy and dignity which is already diminished.”

Sophina, Nell and Hat have all spent time in mental health wards.

They are now raising concerns about the use of surveillance cameras installed in their bedrooms without explicit consent and want to see its use stopped.

Sofina said, “It felt like there was this invisible person following me. It got really scary and I got really sick. I didn’t feel safe sleeping with a camera on the bed… I don’t know.” Who was watching me or when.”

The technology – called OxyVision – can also monitor a patient’s pulse and breathing, and its makers said it has been “proven” to help keep them safe, but some people have not seen it, according to a BBC West investigation. reported that they were so afraid that they slept in corridors, bathrooms and even in the basement. Outside.

Hatt, who is from Weston-super-Mare and now living in Exeter, is part of a campaign called Stop Oxvision.

Sophina, 28, from the West Midlands, has been contacted by dozens of others who wanted to share their experiences.

“People have said they’ve become afraid to sleep in their own beds,” Hatt said.

“They’re sleeping on the bathroom floor. They’re sleeping under desks or in communal areas – just because they’re so afraid of the cameras.

“For a lot of people when they’re really unwell it may be related to fear of surveillance or trauma – whether that’s paranoia or related to past trauma like sexual or domestic abuse.”

Nell, 36, from Brighton, said her experience of camera surveillance was “dehumanizing” and “isolating”.

“It’s a really understandable thing to assume that adding an extra level of monitoring would be security, but in reality it’s not. No one actually came into the room to have a conversation with me.”

OxyVision is now used in many mental health hospitals across England.

Infrared cameras monitor patients while they are in their bedrooms, and the technology is designed to measure the patient’s pulse, breathing rate and movement to confirm that the patient is safe, meaning That requires less one-to-one observation.

Hospital staff are not watching the footage all the time – but can view it for short periods of time and if a risk is detected, an alert will sound and staff can immediately attend to the patient.

But Hatt said the campaign group has been told hospitals are not always taking consent from patients and their families, and believes the technology is not always being used correctly, impacting their privacy. It is falling.

“We’ve heard of a number of places where the monitor can be seen in corridors and in the garden, so there’s nothing stopping other patients from seeing it,” he said.

And Hat, Nell and Sophina are not alone in their concerns.

Working Lampard inquiry into mental health deaths Potential issues with technology in Essex have also been highlighted.

As part of its broader scope, it was heard Tammy Smith, Sophie Alderman’s motherJoe believes OxyVision may have harmed his daughter’s mental health before her death in 2022.

The inquest was told that 27-year-old Sophie “felt a deep discomfort around cameras”, causing intense paranoia, believing she was under surveillance by the government.

Mrs Smith said she was “deeply concerned that the continued presence of the OxyVision camera in Sophie’s room” would have caused her “real and significant distress”.

Consultant clinical psychologist, Dr Jay Watts, has been a patient in a mental health hospital and has called the use of OxyVision “a scam”.

He said, “It’s really one of the worst things that can happen when we’re unwell, to feel that it’s for someone else’s benefit instead of what matters most to us and what’s most important to us.” We are being surveyed.”

He said the technology is “attractive” to NHS managers because “it’s a way of saving money”.

He said, “Mental health is still very much underfunded and under-thought about, and really dehumanized in a way that we don’t get anywhere else.” “

The Royal College of Psychiatrists and mental health charity Rethink have also said they want to see the rollout of the technology halted.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Psychiatrists said, “Video surveillance technologies vary from CCTV to systems that electronically track vital signs and can play a positive role as part of this agenda.”

“However, before considering any further rollout of video surveillance technology, we believe that significant research needs to be conducted that is independently validated and co-authored with patients, their carers and families. -is composed.”

Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Rethink, said that any type of monitoring “must be carried out with the clear, unambiguous and ongoing consent of patients… otherwise it risks causing more harm than good”.

He said, “We believe that technology should be put on hold until we have the framework that guides the use and application of those technologies because I think that will help patients, families, and those working in that setting.” “Professionals who do this will be relieved.”

NHS England said it has instructed mental health trusts to review the use of camera surveillance and will update its guidance in the coming months.

In response to the concerns, OxyHealth, which makes the technology, said: “The OxyVision platform, which offers regulated medical device software, is designed to help clinical teams increase safety while providing therapeutic, personalized care to their patients. Has been proven for.

“To support healthcare providers, national guidelines have been established to guide the implementation and effective use of the platform.”

But it doesn’t go far enough for Hat, Nell and Sophina.

“We completely understand the need to save money in the NHS but this is simply not the right way to do it,” Hayt said.