Suicide

Concerns summary Insufficient Tier 4 Paediatric Mental Health beds lead to long waits, resulting in children with mental health needs being inappropriately held on acute paediatric wards unsuitable for their care.

Concerns summary Mental health crisis patients face dangerously long waits in open reception areas due to a severe lack of local and national mental health beds, and inadequate facilities for appropriate waiting.

Concerns summary Inpatient staff lacked awareness of Home Treatment Team policies, leading to inadequate risk assessments and safety plans. There is also no guidance for managing potential conflicts of interest when staff recognise patients outside of personal relationships.

Concerns summary Multiple services failed to coordinate risk escalation for escalating mental distress, relying on patient denial despite high-risk indicators. Urgent mental health referrals and family concerns were not actioned promptly or effectively.

Concerns summary The electronic sensor system provides only a brief, visual CCTV alert without an audible alarm, making it easily missed by operators and risking lost opportunities for intervention.

Concerns summary A dangerous prison culture of delaying cell entry when observation panels are obscured, assuming privacy rather than self-harm risk, persists despite repeated policy reminders and staff unawareness.

Concerns summary Police processes failed to notify the Firearms Licensing Department of a prosecution, and the department did not check PNC records, leading to a shotgun being returned to a prohibited individual.

Concerns summary The 'Right Care Right Person' system lacks clarity on how concerned families can access emergency mental health services, and there is insufficient provision for such emergencies in Greater Manchester.

Concerns summary Lack of guidance for 999 call handlers on 'reasonable enquiries' for missing persons and confusion with the 'Right Care Right Person' initiative led to an inappropriate police response.

Concerns summary Mental health services suffered from process-driven care, unclear clinical decision-making in triaging referrals, and pre-determined discharge decisions lacking receiving team involvement. The CAMS program also lacked dedicated resources and IT integration.

Concerns summary A patient allocated community mental health support received no appointments for months. Critically, there was no policy or framework guiding the timing or process for appointments or initial assessments.

Concerns summary A critical communication gap exists as the Older People’s Mental Health Service is not routinely informed of their patients' ED admissions for non-mental health issues, risking delayed care and missed links to mental health decline.

Concerns summary Police failed to provide next of kin details to the s136 suite and crucial information about prior s136 detention was missing from police systems, preventing mental health service contact.

Concerns summary There is no formal mechanism for police to share medium-risk mental health information with care providers, even with consent. This prevents crucial risk data from informing future assessments and potentially vital support decisions.

Concerns summary Prison staff failed to open an ACCT process after a self-harm incident and lacked ACCT training. Keyworker sessions for vulnerable prisoners were not consistently conducted, with staff unaware of required frequency.

Concerns summary There is a critical lack of joint policy and training among emergency and mental health services regarding Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act assessments, causing confusion over referral responsibilities.

Concerns summary Significant changes in a mental health patient's medication are not automatically factored into decisions about their required level of contact and observation.

Concerns summary There is persistent staff confusion regarding the exact timing of 15-minute observations, with no clear national standard, risking inconsistent patient monitoring.

Concerns summary The GP repeatedly prescribed large amounts of medication, including substances used in overdose, without adequate review, despite the patient self-reporting multiple overdoses and external services raising concerns.

Concerns summary The building's low top-floor wall presents a clear and known risk of fatal falls, especially for individuals with suicidal thoughts, with multiple similar incidents reported.

Concerns summary Healthcare staff at HMP Chelmsford lack proficiency in navigating System One records to find critical past self-harm information, or are unaware of its importance during prisoner health assessments, indicating training deficiencies.

Concerns summary Devon and Cornwall Police failed to share vital information regarding the deceased's suicidal intent with West Midlands Police, leading to critical risk information being missed in subsequent actions.

Concerns summary Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners face profound hopelessness and mental health suffering due to indefinite detention and lack of access to parole reviews or rehabilitative programs, increasing suicide risk.

Concerns summary Inefficient transfer of missing persons cases between police forces due to inadequate training for transferees on data import procedures, risking delays in risk assessment and investigation.