Letter: Broadmoor staff left with no voice

Sir: On 7 December you gave a great deal of space to the problems that you perceive to exist in Broadmoor Hospital and printed allegations against Dr Kyprous Loucas. Rarely do we, the staff of all disciplines, have any chance to answer the sort of allegations so often made against us without substantiation. Readers of the tabloid press, of course, believe that we only contain rapists, child abusers and murderers. Although we, the staff, know so much better, and actually care very much for our patients, we can be somewhat upset that ex-patients seem to be believed absolutely while we have no voice.

I am glad that we are open to public debate; we are not a closed institution, despite popular myth. We care for our patients and all of us express regret that the NHS no longer cares for the more disturbed psychiatric patients, with the result that so many needful patients remain in maximum security because no one else wants them.

I regret, especially, the fear that your article and the Cutting Edge television programme must cause to the relatives of our 500 patients.

Yours faithfully,

J. M. WORMAN (social worker), ADRIAN G. WEST (clinical pyscholgist), D. J. MANN (resources officer), R. J. BEARDS (nurse), J. FITZPATRICK (ward manager), PAUL MAY (nurse), ALAN BOOHALLY (nurse), E. POULTER (nurse), D. GEORGE (nurse), S. LOVESEY (nurse), M. MUSGRAVE (nurse), L. M. COPLEY (admin assistant)

Broadmoor Hospital

Crowthorne,

Berkshire

9 December