‘No breaches’ found by HSE in hospital stabbing
A Health and Safety Executive investigation into the death of an employee at a mental health unit has found that no health and safety guidelines were breached.
Sharon Wall, 54, was stabbed and killed by an inpatient in the unit at Wotton Lawn Hospital in July 2014.
Wotton Lawn is a 88-bed acute mental health hospital in Gloucester.
The regulator said that it found noting to link 2gether NHS Foundation Trust’s management practices with her death.
The inpatient, Ryan Matthews, 62, was serving a life sentence for double murder when he attacked Ms Wall and was given another whole life order in January 2015 for Ms Wall’s death after admitting the charge against him.
A spokesman for the HSE said: “While HSE’s investigation identified areas for improvement in how the 2gether NHS Foundation Trust manages the risks of violence and aggression generally, there was no evidence linking the Trust’s management systems to Sharon’s death.
“Therefore HSE will not be taking any further action, as no serious breaches of health and safety law were found.”
The spokesman said the victim’s family and the trust had been informed.
The findings will now be shared with NHS England’s Statutory Homicide Enquiry to consider areas of improvement.
‘No breaches’ found by HSE in hospital stabbing
A Health and Safety Executive investigation into the death of an employee at a mental health unit has found that
Roz Sanderson
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One of the many issues with ‘secure’ units that aren’t. My brother was held in one for assessment and there were 2 stabbings and several assaults whilst he was there. There are too many ‘patients’ who need Broadmoor levels of security and management, but the massive under investment and closure of the larger secure sites in favour of ‘care in the community’ the P.C. crowd prefer. I’ve worked in the health sector and seen just how devious and dangerous some of the criminally insane can be. So what was their ‘safe system of work’?
So a Government department finds another Government Department not guilty. What a surprise. The patient was a known killer with continuing psychotic tendencies, the management system that prevents criminally insane patients from having access to items that they can use to harm themselves or others failed, someone died and apparently a severely under resourced HSE takes no action.
I guess that any action would have resulted in a major net loss for the Government so why press on? Because some poor underpaid hardworking person lost their life.
I’m not sure that’s fair. The HSE has previously prosecuted the NHS over deaths and failings. In December 2015 – Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was fined £500,000 over patients’ deaths – https://www.shponline.co.uk/mid-staffs-nhs-trust-fined-500k-following-patients-deaths/; in May 2016 – University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust was fined £100,000 over failing to implement bedrail improvements https://www.shponline.co.uk/100k-fine-for-nhs-trust-which-failed-to-implement-bedrail-improvements/.
Comments required here, not hyperbole and political point scoring. Exaggerated claims based upon bias is not what professionals should be recording. There is no evidence for your claims (Dave and Neil) and you’re actually wrong, as the HSE regularly prosecute other government departments.
Thanks to the voice of reason. The nhs and other government services are regularly inspected and prosecuted by the HSE as can be seen easily by looking at the HSE enforcement website. If anything they take a tougher approach to government funded services.
Sorry Bob, but unless you’ve worked in the mental health sector and have direct experience there’s an awful lot that can, and all too frequently does, go wrong your probably not aware of. Last night our local BBC news had an item about deaths involving mental health care, one was a suicide involving a Southern Health patient, TEN others where mainly murders by those with known ‘issues’ living in the community in Sussex. Then the BBC presenter asked the rep from SANE the usual ‘insufficient supervision and individual care’ line was given in answer as to why such known dangerous… Read more »