Matthew Dunham

PFD Report Historic (No Identified Response) Ref: 2013-0229
Date of Report 12 September 2013
Coroner William Armstrong
Coroner Area Norfolk
Response Deadline est. 23 March 2014
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Failures in mental health care included delayed emergency referrals, unclear team roles, inadequate assessment of suicide risk, and critical breakdowns in information sharing and coordination among professionals.
View full coroner's concerns
fully accept that since this tragedy the Trust has instigated an internal review and is committed to a number of measures as a result of lessons learned from this tragedy a) An emergency referral by the general practitioner to the assessment team on the 4" of April 2013 was not followed up wilhin the normal time scale of four hours and it was two days before a telephone triage session took place and four before an assessment was undertaken by a mental health nurse: This raises the need to ensure that emergency referrals are dealt with within the appropriate time scale and (hat policies and procedures are in force to make sure that this happens b) There appears not to have been a clear shared understanding between professionals as to which team it was appropriate to refer Mr Dunham too There was some lack of understanding revealed as to whether a referral to the assessment team or Ihe crisis resolution and home treatment team was appropriate This highlights the need for there to'be a clear underslanding about the roles of each team and the interface between them: c) On the 8h of April 2013, despite the fact that Mr Dunham was presenting as feeling suicidal and specifically that he had set up a noose in his fiat the previous night; it was not thought appropriate to refer him to the crisis team for appropriately robust intervention_ This raises Ihe issue of the basis upon which the risk of suicide or serious self harm is recognised and acted upon particularly where the person concerned has gone beyond vague suicidal ideation and moved towards contemplating some specific way of ending his life: d) A letter sent to Mr Dunham's general practitioner from the advice and assessment team was not drafted appropriately. This raises the issue of the need for specific guidance to be given about how such lelters should be drafted within a template structure. e) Most disturbingly the evidence at the hearing displayed a lack of coordination between mental health professionals involved in Mr Dunham's care_ Specifically when a mental health nurse saw Mr Dunham on the 8"h of April he had no knowledge whatsoever that Mr Dunham was already being seen by a psychological wellbeing practitioner. This clearly demonstrates the need for effective information sharing between professionals involved in managing the care of a mentally ill person and the need for each and professional to have access to all the records relating to the patient and details of interventions and actions by other practitioners_ It is recognised that the Trust is working towards the implementation of a single electronic health record in 2014. NB. It is fully recognised that the Trust has commendably committed itself to learning lessons as & result of this tragedy_ However; the inadequacies revealed in what described at the inquest as the "fragmented and uncoordinated" approach to Mr Dunham's care clearly demonstrate the need for these issues to be addressed speedily and comprehensively in the interests of seeking to reduce the possibility of further fatalities taking days every
Sent To
  • Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Response Status
Linked responses 0 of 1
56-Day Deadline 23 Mar 2014
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
On the 15/h of May 2013 commenced an investigation into the death of Matthew Christopher Dunham; who was 25 years old at the time of his death on (he gth of 2013. The investigation concluded at the of the inquest on the 4lh of September 2013. was found that the cause of death was multiple injuries as 3 result of a fall and the conclusion of the inquest was "Suicide whilst suffering from mental disorder and whilst in receipt of mental health services_
Circumstances of the Death
Matthew Christopher Dunham, who was suffering from mental disorder and receiving professional menlal health services at the lime; leapt from the fifth floor of a shopping mall known as Castle Mall in Norwich: He fell to the ground: Assistance was provided straight away and medical attention given expeditiously Sadly he could not be saved was pronounced dead at Ihe scene. Mr Dunham had been seen by various mental health professionals since February 2013 and had recently been expressing suicidal ideation. and May end and
Action Should Be Taken
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and believe your organisation has the power to take such action.
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.