The Care Quality Commission has been pointing out the absence of cooperation among the nursing staff in the mental health trust. The censure of the Commission has triggered a sense of insecurity among the staffers.

Devon Partnership Trust probed the care services provided to the elderly people in the mental healthcare wing. The officials claimed that there were not more than two staffers available for the patient care at night.

These nurses told that they feel insecure working alone at night.

"We were told of many occasions of ward managers having to step in to plug staffing gaps", said CQC.

It was found that in a number of cases, the nurses looked for their own safety from the mentally upset patients. They locked themselves in the offices.

Following the 6 deaths reported at the Harbourne Centre at Totnes Community Hospital, the Commission had directed an inquiry in the matter.

The Commission said that the quality of the services provided at the other wings of the hospital was not as poor as observed in the Harbourne Centre.

The basic reason for the bad quality in the services, as provided by the commission, was the shortage in the number of staffers.