Intro
Firstly, I found this from a cursory google search of 'Hospital Closures 2023' in an attempt to try to think laterally about how to find an explore and a desire to find something fresh that has not yet been attacked by the goon squad as usually happens once posted on 28 days.
I would be interested in sharing methods and info with other trusted users who try to contribute rather than just join the merry goon round so please add me if this describes you!
The site is currently in "Fresh ASF" condition so let's see how long that lasts. (The fridge was still cold and lights and all electricity was on)
History
Huntercombe lies on the south-west edge of Slough, towards the south end of Burnham parish. The 7ha site is bounded to the north by the grounds of a research laboratory, to the west by Huntercombe Lane South, to the east by the Huntercombe spur of the M4 motorway, and to the south by Huntercombe Farmhouse and a path which runs east of it.
The manor belonged to Burnham Abbey in the C14, at which time the timber-framed core of the house was built. George Evelyn I bought Huntercombe in 1656 and died the following year, being succeeded by his son, George II, cousin of the diarist John Evelyn, who built the Jacobean wing of the house. John Evelyn mentions Huntercombe in his diary for 1679, describing the 'sweet gardens, exquisitely kept, though large' (Pevsner and Williamson 1994), and is likely to have been a regular visitor to Huntercombe.
The Evelyns sold the house in 1705 to the Eyre family who owned it until 1871 when it was sold to the Rev Richard Cavendish Boyle and his wife, Eleanor Vere Boyle (EVB). EVB, a friend of Queen Victoria and her family, many of whom visited Huntercombe, wrote children's books, and books on gardening matters: Days and hours in a garden (1884), Sylvana's letters (1900), and the third chapter of Seven gardens and a palace (1900) are about Huntercombe.
She developed Evelyn's garden in the 1870s, creating a late C19 ensemble, adding her own framework of topiary and ornamental trees and moving the road further west of the house. EVB died in 1916, and after having several further owners, Huntercombe was sold to Buckinghamshire County Council and is now (1997) a children's hospital.
Abuse and Scandal
The house has more recently been at the centre of scandal and intrigue since allegations from 20 - 50 former patients of severe abuse and misconduct at the hospital.
Testimonies gathered in an investigation by Sky News raise repeated allegations of over-restraint and inadequate staffing which youngsters say left people at increased risk of self-harm.
Patients described being left in rooms with blood on the walls, and accuse staff of failing to prevent them from hurting themselves.
The mother of one girl, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that patients were "treated worse than animals" with many subjected to "clear trauma, pain and suffering".
The allegations stretch back more than a decade, impacting teenagers being treated for serious mental health issues by a single provider - The Huntercombe Group - paid for by the NHS.
Repeated claims of over restraint
Sky News spent months tracing the group, most of who don't know each other, in a joint investigation with The Independent.
Eighteen-year-old Alice Sweeting, who was in Huntercombe's Maidenhead unit for 14 months until autumn last year, told us: "No one's going to get better in that environment.
"I think it's awful. It shouldn't be open. I don't know why they're still running."
At least three of the former patients we spoke to revealed they have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since leaving the units - with their treatment at the hospital contributing to the diagnosis.
Amber Rehman, 18, said the time she spent in the unit made her mental health condition "much worse".
"It hasn't stopped. Every day, guaranteed. It's been going through my head more than anything else," she said.
"I just want to move on."
Police investigate death of patient
The Huntercombe Group was taken over by Active Care Group at the end of last year. Two months after the takeover, a patient died at the group's unit in Maidenhead, now called Taplow Manor, with Thames Valley police currently investigating.
Taplow Manor and another unit in Staffordshire remain open. Three other children's mental health units which were part of The Huntercombe Group have closed.
Dr Sylvia Tang, who was CEO of The Huntercombe Group since June 2020 and is now CEO of Active Care Group, said: "The death of a young person at Taplow Manor in February 2022 was a tragic and sad event.
"We have already taken steps to make improvements to the service and remain committed to providing the best possible care for our patients. Our sincere condolences go out to the young person's parents and all who have been affected."
In response to our dossier of concerns raised by former patients, Dr Tang said: "At the time most of these incidents are alleged to have taken place, the Active Care Group, did not own the facilities at which they are purported to have happened.
"ACG acquired 12 of The Huntercombe Group services in December 2021 (including the brand), and previous owners retain all the legal entities and associated records for these facilities prior to their acquisition.
"The current group is therefore unable to comment on the services provided prior to this date."
Active Care Group says it has "robust" processes in place.
The previous owners of The Huntercombe Group - Elli Investments Group - told Sky News: "We regret that these hospitals and specialist care services, which were owned and independently managed by The Huntercombe Group, failed to meet the expected standards for high quality care."
An NHS spokesperson said: "The NHS has repeatedly made clear that all services must provide safe, high-quality care and deliver on the commitments in their contracts.
"We continue to work closely with the CQC to monitor, identify and take appropriate action where it is needed."
The Explore
Visited with @Shlum Le Flame and a mate.
So this one began as I say with a cursory google search to see what I could find locally. Before long I happened upon all of the news stories about this place and noted it was in Taplow, a village close to me. So me and a couple of buddies popped it on the list.
One morning, I went for a quick drone recce and identified some possible entrances. The entire perimeter of the site is well fenced off and littered with security cameras as well as those new 'Hedgehog" PID security systems - you know, the ones with 360 degree cameras and a loud speaker that tells you where to go. I counted at least 3 of these, mainly situated on the lawns and open access areas that would prevent a clean ingress into the property.
There are also 2 large, tall CCTV cameras covering the main entrances and one on the front of the main entrance to the building itself as well as an on site member of security who does patrol the site and had a security box he occupied close to the road side of the site.(Accurate as of October 2023)
Once we had figured a potential route to avoid the PIDs, we made our way inside the perimeter fence. When we were inside, we discovered that our route was perhaps not as well thought out as we had first imagined and we had to do some ninja like improvisation to make our way to the front undetected.
I wont specify exactly how we gained entry but it involved a low level of sketchiness and some climbing as all entrances at ground level are well buttoned off.
Once we were inside, the first sight we were greeted by was what appeared to be a body! This was just what appeared to be a first aid training dummy, but a harrowing discovery considering the history of the place!
Upstairs there are some beautiful murals on the ceilings and the old listed building really shows some of its charm.
We made our way downstairs and as we passed through into one of the main hallways, we were lit up like a prize on a quiz show! The automated lights shone brightly in the main staircase and we knew we were now most likely on a timer for the rest of our explore so we continued on hastily around the rest of the main building.
We cam across some interesting bits and bobs, a box full of chemicals (we think these were most likely a science kit for teaching chemistry and not anything weird) as well as the security room with fully operational CCTV cameras showing where we had just come from.
We watched the CCTV as it flicked around the site mainly out of curiosity for a minute when we saw a police car approaching the front of the building! Our less experienced explorer friend started to panic at this point and we had to reassure him that all would be fine (all whilst slightly worried ourselves) and we started making a hasty walk back upstairs to find a good hiding place.
So it appeared we had not been quite as ninja like as we had suspected! We dwelled in our hiding place for at least 30-45 minutes until we were satisfied the 5-0 had left site and made our way out of the site.
So it was an exciting one to say the least, and although detected, we remained free and unrestrained by the coppers! We felt we had deserved our obligatory post-explore McDonalds on the way home.
Our less experienced explorer dusted himself off over his cheeseburger and said 'that was sick....never again'. Little does he know what more we have in store for him...
Firstly, I found this from a cursory google search of 'Hospital Closures 2023' in an attempt to try to think laterally about how to find an explore and a desire to find something fresh that has not yet been attacked by the goon squad as usually happens once posted on 28 days.
I would be interested in sharing methods and info with other trusted users who try to contribute rather than just join the merry goon round so please add me if this describes you!
The site is currently in "Fresh ASF" condition so let's see how long that lasts. (The fridge was still cold and lights and all electricity was on)
History
Huntercombe lies on the south-west edge of Slough, towards the south end of Burnham parish. The 7ha site is bounded to the north by the grounds of a research laboratory, to the west by Huntercombe Lane South, to the east by the Huntercombe spur of the M4 motorway, and to the south by Huntercombe Farmhouse and a path which runs east of it.
The manor belonged to Burnham Abbey in the C14, at which time the timber-framed core of the house was built. George Evelyn I bought Huntercombe in 1656 and died the following year, being succeeded by his son, George II, cousin of the diarist John Evelyn, who built the Jacobean wing of the house. John Evelyn mentions Huntercombe in his diary for 1679, describing the 'sweet gardens, exquisitely kept, though large' (Pevsner and Williamson 1994), and is likely to have been a regular visitor to Huntercombe.
The Evelyns sold the house in 1705 to the Eyre family who owned it until 1871 when it was sold to the Rev Richard Cavendish Boyle and his wife, Eleanor Vere Boyle (EVB). EVB, a friend of Queen Victoria and her family, many of whom visited Huntercombe, wrote children's books, and books on gardening matters: Days and hours in a garden (1884), Sylvana's letters (1900), and the third chapter of Seven gardens and a palace (1900) are about Huntercombe.
She developed Evelyn's garden in the 1870s, creating a late C19 ensemble, adding her own framework of topiary and ornamental trees and moving the road further west of the house. EVB died in 1916, and after having several further owners, Huntercombe was sold to Buckinghamshire County Council and is now (1997) a children's hospital.
Abuse and Scandal
The house has more recently been at the centre of scandal and intrigue since allegations from 20 - 50 former patients of severe abuse and misconduct at the hospital.
Testimonies gathered in an investigation by Sky News raise repeated allegations of over-restraint and inadequate staffing which youngsters say left people at increased risk of self-harm.
Patients described being left in rooms with blood on the walls, and accuse staff of failing to prevent them from hurting themselves.
The mother of one girl, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that patients were "treated worse than animals" with many subjected to "clear trauma, pain and suffering".
The allegations stretch back more than a decade, impacting teenagers being treated for serious mental health issues by a single provider - The Huntercombe Group - paid for by the NHS.
Repeated claims of over restraint
Sky News spent months tracing the group, most of who don't know each other, in a joint investigation with The Independent.
Eighteen-year-old Alice Sweeting, who was in Huntercombe's Maidenhead unit for 14 months until autumn last year, told us: "No one's going to get better in that environment.
"I think it's awful. It shouldn't be open. I don't know why they're still running."
At least three of the former patients we spoke to revealed they have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since leaving the units - with their treatment at the hospital contributing to the diagnosis.
Amber Rehman, 18, said the time she spent in the unit made her mental health condition "much worse".
"It hasn't stopped. Every day, guaranteed. It's been going through my head more than anything else," she said.
"I just want to move on."
Police investigate death of patient
The Huntercombe Group was taken over by Active Care Group at the end of last year. Two months after the takeover, a patient died at the group's unit in Maidenhead, now called Taplow Manor, with Thames Valley police currently investigating.
Taplow Manor and another unit in Staffordshire remain open. Three other children's mental health units which were part of The Huntercombe Group have closed.
Dr Sylvia Tang, who was CEO of The Huntercombe Group since June 2020 and is now CEO of Active Care Group, said: "The death of a young person at Taplow Manor in February 2022 was a tragic and sad event.
"We have already taken steps to make improvements to the service and remain committed to providing the best possible care for our patients. Our sincere condolences go out to the young person's parents and all who have been affected."
In response to our dossier of concerns raised by former patients, Dr Tang said: "At the time most of these incidents are alleged to have taken place, the Active Care Group, did not own the facilities at which they are purported to have happened.
"ACG acquired 12 of The Huntercombe Group services in December 2021 (including the brand), and previous owners retain all the legal entities and associated records for these facilities prior to their acquisition.
"The current group is therefore unable to comment on the services provided prior to this date."
Active Care Group says it has "robust" processes in place.
The previous owners of The Huntercombe Group - Elli Investments Group - told Sky News: "We regret that these hospitals and specialist care services, which were owned and independently managed by The Huntercombe Group, failed to meet the expected standards for high quality care."
An NHS spokesperson said: "The NHS has repeatedly made clear that all services must provide safe, high-quality care and deliver on the commitments in their contracts.
"We continue to work closely with the CQC to monitor, identify and take appropriate action where it is needed."
The Explore
Visited with @Shlum Le Flame and a mate.
So this one began as I say with a cursory google search to see what I could find locally. Before long I happened upon all of the news stories about this place and noted it was in Taplow, a village close to me. So me and a couple of buddies popped it on the list.
One morning, I went for a quick drone recce and identified some possible entrances. The entire perimeter of the site is well fenced off and littered with security cameras as well as those new 'Hedgehog" PID security systems - you know, the ones with 360 degree cameras and a loud speaker that tells you where to go. I counted at least 3 of these, mainly situated on the lawns and open access areas that would prevent a clean ingress into the property.
There are also 2 large, tall CCTV cameras covering the main entrances and one on the front of the main entrance to the building itself as well as an on site member of security who does patrol the site and had a security box he occupied close to the road side of the site.(Accurate as of October 2023)
Once we had figured a potential route to avoid the PIDs, we made our way inside the perimeter fence. When we were inside, we discovered that our route was perhaps not as well thought out as we had first imagined and we had to do some ninja like improvisation to make our way to the front undetected.
I wont specify exactly how we gained entry but it involved a low level of sketchiness and some climbing as all entrances at ground level are well buttoned off.
Once we were inside, the first sight we were greeted by was what appeared to be a body! This was just what appeared to be a first aid training dummy, but a harrowing discovery considering the history of the place!
Upstairs there are some beautiful murals on the ceilings and the old listed building really shows some of its charm.
We made our way downstairs and as we passed through into one of the main hallways, we were lit up like a prize on a quiz show! The automated lights shone brightly in the main staircase and we knew we were now most likely on a timer for the rest of our explore so we continued on hastily around the rest of the main building.
We cam across some interesting bits and bobs, a box full of chemicals (we think these were most likely a science kit for teaching chemistry and not anything weird) as well as the security room with fully operational CCTV cameras showing where we had just come from.
We watched the CCTV as it flicked around the site mainly out of curiosity for a minute when we saw a police car approaching the front of the building! Our less experienced explorer friend started to panic at this point and we had to reassure him that all would be fine (all whilst slightly worried ourselves) and we started making a hasty walk back upstairs to find a good hiding place.
So it appeared we had not been quite as ninja like as we had suspected! We dwelled in our hiding place for at least 30-45 minutes until we were satisfied the 5-0 had left site and made our way out of the site.
So it was an exciting one to say the least, and although detected, we remained free and unrestrained by the coppers! We felt we had deserved our obligatory post-explore McDonalds on the way home.
Our less experienced explorer dusted himself off over his cheeseburger and said 'that was sick....never again'. Little does he know what more we have in store for him...
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A bit sad with all the netting and perspex at the top to stop people throwing themselves off!!
