Suicide

Concerns summary Medical centre reception staff failed to adequately assess a distressed patient's urgent mental health needs, not providing an emergency appointment or clinical callback, raising concerns about future risk to patients.

Concerns summary Pandemic-driven telephone consultations for mental health prevented comprehensive assessments, and GPs lacked clear guidance on when to refer patients to crisis teams.

Concerns summary Methadone prescribed to a care home resident was found in a staff member's possession, raising serious concerns about medication management, security, and auditing protocols.

Concerns summary Police repeatedly failed to act on reports of neighbour harassment, suggesting incidents are not taken seriously enough and leading to missed opportunities to intervene and potentially prevent future deaths.

Concerns summary Mental health practitioners lack national guidance on specific suicide method risks and their antidotes, while Serious Incident Reviews fail to adequately learn lessons, risking future fatalities.

Concerns summary The Community Mental Health Team failed to properly allocate and ensure Care Co-Ordinators fulfilled their roles, leading to inadequate patient care and missing care plans.

Concerns summary The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Centre lacked protocols for Mental Health Act assessments and failed to create an adequate safety plan with clear responsibilities and contingencies for non-attending patients. Crucially, relevant information about a suicide attempt was not fully shared, and police advice didn't account for absconding history.

Concerns summary A patient's suicide risk was inappropriately downgraded by staff unfamiliar with their history, despite ongoing concerns from the care coordinator and a recent suicide attempt.

Concerns summary Police officers demonstrated a lack of awareness and adherence to the Concern for Welfare Policy, failing to complete required reports or inform other officers. There is a need for improved training on mental welfare procedures.

Concerns summary Incompatible electronic patient record systems across the NHS lead to significant difficulties in healthcare providers accessing full patient histories. This lack of information sharing compromises risk assessments and specialist care.

Concerns summary Sub-optimal training for Mental Health Act assessments and assessors, along with inadequate access to patient data for independent clinicians, poses risks to patient risk management.

Concerns summary The Trust lacked contingency for multiple urgent responses, leaving callers at risk, and had a 12-hour delay in following up a high-risk call with no tracking mechanism for unprogressed cases.

Concerns summary Miniature rifle ranges operate with minimal regulation, lacking essential safety measures such as secure weapon tethering, competent supervision, ammunition control, and first aid provisions.

Concerns summary Hospital failed to assess or treat a patient with psychiatric issues, did not follow discharge protocols for self-discharge, and neglected to inform external mental health teams, leading to a dangerous gap in care.

Concerns summary HMP Long Lartin lacked effective systems for social care referrals and allocating ACCT Case Managers, resulting in insufficient oversight of vulnerable prisoners and inadequate staff training.

Concerns summary A prisoner was unlawfully detained due to a system failure where release dates were calculated after recall decisions, leading to unnecessary imprisonment, particularly over bank holidays.

Concerns summary Residential housing staff for vulnerable young people lacked adequate training and tools to respond to self-harm emergencies. Key policies were ineffectively communicated, failing to ensure staff understanding and practical application.

Concerns summary The Trust lacks formal guidance for seeking second psychiatric opinions and consultants demonstrate poor understanding of confidentiality when communicating with family members regarding patient care and risk planning.

Concerns summary Investigations into railway suicides by BTP and Network Rail risk missing vital mitigating measures by too readily assuming a single point of access, rather than keeping an open mind about alternative routes.

Concerns summary There is a national gap in guidance for sharing mental health patient care plans and risk information with pharmacies, enabling vulnerable 16-17 year olds to access overdose medication.

Concerns summary GMP officers lack understanding of ACT markers and policies cause delays in missing person investigations. A national ANPR system for vehicle tracking is not fully implemented, leading to missed alerts.

Concerns summary Prisoners lack direct access to Samaritans, relying on staff, which is especially difficult for those with violence risks. Prison officers are not routinely briefed on prisoners' significant self-harm history.

Concerns summary A lack of shared "high risk" patient definitions and national guidance for shared care plans between trusts led to inconsistent risk assessments. Prolonged mental health bed waits were also exacerbated by fragmented commissioning.

Concerns summary The current repeat prescription system lacks automated alerts to remind patients to request and collect medication, contributing to non-compliance for those with mental illness.

Concerns summary The Trust's risk assessment policy was not consistently followed by nursing staff. Electronic medical records showed significant validation delays and unapparent post-death amendments, compromising their integrity.