Peter Thompson was released from Broadmoor psychiatric hospital into the care of his former housemaster. He was taken to Wellington College then to a Christian hostel in London, as he received no follow-up care from the hospital. Though he struggled socially due to his history, he found stable employment with the help of influential friends. However, he questions why he was discharged so quickly after a suicide attempt and allowed to wander armed, considering he was deemed a danger. His experience highlighted overcrowding and poor staff training at Broadmoor as well as a general lack of support for patients post-discharge.

1. Peter Thompson ‘Bound for Broadmoor’ (1972) Chapter 8
Peter Waghorn, his visitor and public school housemaster, collects
Peter from outside Broadmoor on release day. They go to
Wellington College and there Dr Gurney comes to take Peter to a
Christian hostel in south London. Because Peter was discharged
after a MHRT, he had no follow-up from the hospital. He feels he
was treated as having done an act ‘illegal or irresponsible’ which
itself was proscribed by the DoH. He was found a senior job in the
City and it was quite intellectually and emotionally demanding.
He has influential friends, unlike many discharged patients, and his
ability had not been diminished by mental illness. He was helped
in his faith by a vicar at a local church, and sometimes lost friends
when they found out about his Broadmoor past of four years. His
record made things difficult for him. He found a suitable PR job. He
began to ask: why was he allowed to wander London with guns
and knives, a self-confessed danger to society? Why was he
discharged from hospital 24 hours after a suicide attempt? Why
was he given no help until after the dangerous attack on the
young women? Why did he alone have to pay the penalty, when,
according to Judge Lyle, others shared the responsibility? This
raises serious questions about society’s attitude towards the
mentally ill. He found that Broadmoor was overcrowded with
inexperienced and poorly trained staff. We need to change this to
move out of the Bedlam era. He would like to see the place
renamed as ‘Crowthorne Hospital.’ He was able to get an
interview with Sir Keith Joseph, Secretary for DHSS. He argued for
proper resettlement for patients from special hospitals.
Peter’s case is not typical, as he was discharged by Tribunal, and
because he had many influential friends. His friends supported him
on discharge, including Basil Saunders of the Wellcome
Foundation. He sent out 250 letters seeking work and got 15
interviews. A mental health charity mentioning Broadmoor sent
out 225 letters and he got one interview. He cites the case of an
honours graduate discharged after 11 years in Broadmoor who

2. ended up working as a cleaner. He revived his concerns from the
Packenham-Thompson Committee of the time before his years
inside, and wrote to the Guardian in 1970. Here he advocated for
reform. He mentions that the 1970 Parkhurst riots were led by a
man he knew from Broadmoor, who was otherwise not violent, but
who had succumbed to frustration.