Clearly, Narcosis patients went through a horrific experience on Ward 5. What none of them understood at the time was that the Narcosis Treatment that they’d been given was the invention of Dr William Sargant and unheard of anywhere else in the NHS. No one told them that the only evidence for the efficacy and safety of Narcosis was provided by Dr Sargant and his team who were effectively marking their own homework.

Parents and other relatives of the women on Ward 5 put their trust in the staff at St Thomas’. But not only did those doctors and nurses fail to help the women in their care but they subjected them to an horrific ordeal that actually damaged them and made their situation worse.

When patients began to realise that they had been subjected to a bizarre and damaging treatment devised by someone who should never have been allowed anywhere near mentally ill women, they began to try to take action against all of those responsible for letting William Sargant loose on them. Former Narcosis patients have approached solicitors, The Department of Health, St Thomas’ Hospital, The Metropolitan Police and a Labour MP. But they continue to be failed by all of those individuals or organisations.