MP's urgent call after shocking Harbour absconder figures revealed

A Blackpool MP is requesting an urgent meeting with health trust officials after it was revealed more than 120 inpatients have absconded from The Harbour mental health facility in the last year.

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Of those, 24 absconded from The Harbour more than once in the same period, while it has also been revealed that more than 300 members of staff received injuries caused by patients over the last 12 months.

The figures were gained by Blackpool's Brunswick Ward PACT (Police and Communities Together) group after one of its members had an alarming encounter with an escaped inpatient from The Harbour.

The PACT group was keen to gain answers from the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, which manages The Harbour and has passed the figures on to Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, who said: "The information shared by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust regarding inpatients absconding from the Harbour, and injuries incurred by staff, are very concerning.

"It indicates that neither patients nor staff are as safe as they should be.

"When I visited The Harbour as MP I was impressed by the facility and the dedication of the staff, but it was also apparent that, like all our mental health services, it is under strain.