Anne Morris

PFD Report Partially Responded Ref: 2017-0383
Date of Report 18 December 2017
Coroner Christopher Williams
Response Deadline est. 9 April 2018
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Hospital staff did not contact friends and relatives after the patient consented, and there was no written plan identifying the responsible team for onward care in the community. The community team also did not proactively contact the hospital for a discharge plan.
View full coroner's concerns
From the evidence before me at the inquest and written representations have received after the inquest there are matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. : (1) am concerned that the staff at the Hospital did not make contact with friends and relatives after Anne had consented to them being contacted: (2) The Priory Hospital did not formulate a written plan, before discharge from hospital, identifying the HTT who would be responsible for onward care in the community and, in particular making the relevant HTT aware that Anne was agreeable to health care professionals speaking to Peter Forester and Bernard Bakes regarding support with her mental health issues Priory being they and they Priory

3) The Priory Hospital did not identify a responsible HTT for the discharge address in Eltham and there was no Iiaison with an HTT prior to discharge (4) The Oxleas HTT do not appear to have proactively contacted the Hospital for a written discharge plan prior to, or at the time, of the home visit on the 25/6/17 Had the HTT made contact with the Hospital it would still have been possible to formulate a plan (including_the availability of collateral assistance from Messrs (5) The Oxleas HTT do not appear to have been aware of Anne's willingness for mental health professionals to contact Jregarding community support with her suicide risk: Had Oxleas HTT proactively made contact with the Priory Hospital could have been made aware of this arrangement:
Responses
Priory Group Private Sector
2 Feb 2018
Action Planned
Priory Group has reviewed and re-launched its Admission, Transfer and Discharge Policy and plans a rolling programme of training webinars in 2018, where discharge planning and communication with family/friends will be highlighted. (AI summary)
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Dear Mr Thompson Re: Anne Morris (deceased) Iwrite to you in response to the Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths dated 22 December 2017 that you issued in response to the Inquest Touching the Death of Ms Anne Morris. I note that you have addressed your report to and Please note that lis no longer connected with Priory Hospital Ticehurst: I write to you on behalf Firstly I would like to advise you that we were disappointed that this particular Inquest went ahead without our full involvement_ Had we been invited to give evidence we would have reassured you in terms of the improvement actions taken in response to Ms Morris' death Despite our reservations we accept your report and set out the matters of concern and our responses below: The staff at the Priory Hospital did not make contact with friends and relatives after Ms Morris had consented to them being contacted: Please note that we have reviewed and re-launched Priory Healthcare Policy HOZ: Admission, Transfer and Discharge and made reference to the involvement of family, friends and carers in the discharge planning process (paragraph 5.1e). A rolling programme of training webinars which detail policy and practice is planned for 2018 and discharge planning will feature as part of these webinars_ Please be assured that the point that you have made in respect of communicating with family and friends prior to discharge will be highlighted as part of these webinars: Friday

The Priory Hospital did not formulate a written plan; before discharge from hospital, identifying the Home Treatment Team (HTT) who would be responsible for onward care in the community and, in particular making the relevant HTT aware that Ms Morris was agreeable to healthcare professionals speaking to Peter Forester and Bernard Blakes regarding support with her mental issues: As above this matter has been addressed as part of the policy review: Form HllA Discharge Checklist which is associated with the policy has been amended to include a section to record the contact details of friends and family (including the next of kin) The policy itself stipulates very clearly that care plans should be circulated prior to the patients discharge from hospital. This point of good practice be highlighted as part of the webinar training programme: The Priory Hospital did not identify a responsible HTT for the discharge address in Eltham and there was no liaison with an HTT to discharge: This matter has been addressed as part of the policy review The newly reviewed policy reinforces the requirement to identify which service will provide care and support to the patient at the point of discharge from hospital (paragraphs 5.1b, 6.7 and Form HllA) and to ensure that the service confirm in writing their acceptance of their responsibility to deliver follow-up care and support: Once again this requirement will be highlighted as part of the webinar training programme_ We note that the fourth and fifth matters of concern relate to Oxleas Mental Health NHS Trust rather than to Priory Group. I do that these actions will provide you with the reassurance that you require: If I can be of further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact me:
Oxleas NHS Trust NHS / Health Body
15 Feb 2018
Action Taken
Oxleas Home Treatment Team now contacts the referring organisation to request discharge information within 24 hours if it's not received, and the 'Transfer of Care within Oxleas and externally' protocol has been reviewed to ensure standardisation across all Oxleas services. (AI summary)
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Dear Mr Thompson Re: preventing Future Deaths report touching the death of MORRIS, Anne (date of death 26/06/2017) [Case Ref: 01820/2017] Thank you for your letter of 22 December 2018, enclosing the preventing future deaths report touching the death of Anne Morris, requesting a response by 12 February 2018_ The Assistant Coroner, Christopher Williams, identified that action should be taken by our Home Treatment Team, namely that; Oxleas Home Treatment Team should indicate what steps have been taken since the death to ensure a system of liaising with the discharging hospital in situations where thev have not been provided with a discharge plan in order to obtain the same or to urgently formulate one with the discharging hospital. The steps that we have taken are: In the event that the information, including a detailed discharge plan is not received within 24 hours for patients transferred from an inpatient unit; the Home Treatment Team now contact the referring organisation to request that this is sent immediately and if not available they have a discussion about their recommendation for further treatment_ Our 'Transfer of Care within Oxleas and externally' protocol has been reviewed by Medical Director; because it only described the information which should be provided to other units not what services should do in order to obtain information when a patient is referred transferred:. This will ensure standardisation in all Oxleas services in addition to the Home Treatment Team and this will then be disseminated through our clinical effectiveness governance process, This action is complete MINDFUL EMPLOYER 8 the Abour ( 1 Dieao|
Sent To
  • Oxleas NHS Trust
  • Department of Health
  • The Care Quality Commission
  • The Chief Coroner
  • Priory Hospital
Response Status
Linked responses 2 of 5
56-Day Deadline 9 Apr 2018
About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
An investigation into the death of Anne Morris commenced on the 28/6/2017. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 2nd November 2017 . The conclusion of the inquest was that the medical cause of death was 1(a) hanging: The short form conclusion was "Suicide"
Circumstances of the Death
1) On the 26/6/2017 Anne hanged herself whilst she was alone inside the house of a friend in Merryfield Road Eltham had secured the house from the inside and her friend had to gain access by a ladder to an upstairs room left a handwritten message expressing that her life had been "ruined" by financial debts caused by a former partner and apologising to her friend,
2) The inquest heard evidence that on the 8th May 2017 Anne had become very distressed by a solicitors' letter claiming substantial legal fees, dating back to 2010, which had been unpaid by her ex-cohabiting and business partner
3) On the 9/6/2017 after taking an overdose of paracetamol tablets she was visited by the Lewisham Home Treatment (psychiatric) Team (Oxleas HTT) on the 10/6/17 and was voluntarily admitted to hospital by the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust (Oxleas) . Oxleas covered the Eltham area. Anne's usual address was in Surbiton prior to her temporary stay in Eltham.
4) Due to a shortage of psychiatric beds she was placed by Oxleas in the Hospital Ticehurst House in Sussex, which is a private hospital, and was discharged to her friends address in Eltham on the 23/6/17.
5) During the inquest read the evidence ofl a consultant Psychiatrist at the Hospital, who recorded that prior to Anne's discharge from hospital she consented to staff speaking to her brother] and Peter Forrester who provided her accommodation in Eltham. She She Priory Priory candidly noted in his report that there was no record of any staff contacting Anne's friend or her brother prior t0 discharge_ On the 25/8/17 Anne was seen by the Oxleas HTT at the Eltham address_ The Oxleas HTT did not have the benefit of a discharge plan from the Hospital:
8) In a Root Cause Analysis report provided by Oxleas NHS Trust it was recorded that as "AM approached her discharge from Ticehurst Priory, there is no evidence of forward discharge planning with the community team to whom care was transferred or the address where AM would be staying and therefore which team would be responsible for her follow up'
9) During the inquest both] and indicated to me their concerns that were not contacted by the mental health services prior to Anne's discharge from hospital to discuss her care in the community.
10) At theendofuthe inquest indicated to the representative for Oxleas_ and that was considering making a regulation 28 report but before doing so would be assisted by written representation from Oxleas concerning what had been done by Oxleas since the death to address the problems concerning discharge from hospital in the RCA report gave Oxleas 14and dys to respond and then a further 14 days for provide written observations on the Oxleas response
11) The response from Oxleas 13/11/17 (received 23/11/17) , identified the following recommendations and progress: GP records must be requested by the Greenwich Home Treatment Team when an unknown out of area patient is referred to the service_ Clinical documentation must be updated and in a timely manner:
12) In responses received from both expressed concerns that neither of them had been contacted by the Priory hospital staff prior to Anne's discharge and that Anne's indication that she was willing for staff to contact them both had not been communicated to the community HTT. In the case ofl hhe expressed the opinion that if the mental health services had contacted him he would have been more aware of the risk Anne presented to herself and he might have been able to help avert the tragedy:
Action Should Be Taken
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and believe your organisations have the power to take the following action: The Priory Hospital should indicate what steps have been taken since the death to ensure that where a patient has given consent to staff contact named friends and relatives in the community that efforts should be made to consult those individuals when preparing a discharge plan_ The Priory Hospital should indicate what steps have been taken since the death to ensure a system of promptly issuing care plans prior to discharge into the community including contact details of friends and next of kin where the patient consents to contact with named individuals_ The Hospital should indicate what steps have been taken since the death to ensure that the responsible HTT for the area in which the patient will be is contacted directly and that such contact is confirmed by a response from the relevant HTT_ Oxleas HTT should indicate what steps have been taken since the death to ensure a system of liaising with the discharging hospital in situations where have not been provided with a discharge plan in order to obtain the same or to urgently formulate one with the discharging hospital:
Related Inquiry Recommendations

Public inquiry recommendations addressing similar themes

Separate SIO and Family Liaison Officer roles
Daniel Morgan Panel
Emergency family notification
GP Notification of Death Circumstances
Hyponatraemia Inquiry
Emergency family notification
Service change continuity plans
Vale of Leven Inquiry
Care and discharge planning
Candour about harm
Mid Staffs Inquiry
Emergency family notification
Continuing responsibility for care
Mid Staffs Inquiry
Care and discharge planning
Follow up of patients
Mid Staffs Inquiry
Care and discharge planning
Death in Custody Checklist
Baha Mousa Inquiry
Emergency family notification

Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.