More questions for NHS Trust with 'serious failings' after suicide

An NHS trust convicted last week of serious failings over a patient's suicide is facing further questions about 20 other deaths.

Alice Figueiredo died in 2015 - but other coroner reports also raise concerns about rushed assessments and neglect over a decade.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust insists it's made improvements.

But current patients fear issues haven't gone away.

Multiple Failings

Multiple failings led to the death of 22-year-old Ms Figueiredo - who took her own life in July 2015 - and the trust responsible for her care was charged with corporate manslaughter.

Last week, following a months-long trial, the body was found not guilty of that charge - but it was convicted of serious health and safety failings.

Reports seen by Sky News detail a decade of deaths at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), with coroners repeatedly raising concerns about the mental health services provided by the trust - in particular at Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford.

Rushed assessments and neglect were often cited. One patient was marked as alive and well, even though he had taken his own life inside the hospital the previous day.

Another patient told staff he was hearing voices telling him to kill himself, yet staff did not remove crucial items from his possession - items he would later use to take his own life.

'Neglect'

Karis Braithwate, who had gone to school with Alice, also died in 2018, having been treated by the same NHS trust.

Karis, 24, was sent to Goodmayes Hospital after she tried to take her own life in October 2018. The next day, staff spent 27 minutes assessing her and a further two minutes confirming their conclusion.

She was discharged from hospital in the afternoon. Within an hour, she took her own life.

Karis had been friends with Alice, her mother said. The pair had been classmates at the same school.

Karis told her mother she was upset at being put on the same ward where Alice had taken her own life three years earlier.

Her stepfather Mark Bambridge called Karis sweet and kind and said she often "struggled with life". He felt relief when she was taken to hospital, saying: "She was in a place where she would be taken care of."

Karis's mother - who asked not to be named - said her daughter confided in her about the neglect she endured at the hospital.

Karis told her mother that her carer would sleep when they were supposed to be watching over her and said she never felt safe.

"She spoke of her belongings going missing, of being treated with indifference and disrespect, and of staff who showed little concern for her wellbeing," her mother said.

Karis's mother said her daughter was failed by the hospital and the family was offered only a "hollow, superficial and indifferent 'apology' from the administration team of those who were meant to protect her".

Profound tragedy

In the wake of the verdict in Alice's case, Karis's mother said: "I am holding Alice's family in my thoughts and praying they receive the justice they - and we - so clearly need and deserve."

A spokesperson for NELFT called Karis's death a "profound tragedy" and said the trust had conducted an in-depth review of patient safety since 2018, "resulting in significant changes in the way we assess risk of suicide".

"We train our staff to consider the trauma in a patient's history, rather than focusing solely on their current crisis," the spokesperson added.

"This approach allows us to see the person behind the diagnosis, making it easier to identify warning signs and support safe recovery."

The trust said it had also improved record-keeping and communication between emergency workers and mental health practitioners.

For those in a crisis, Samaritans are available on 116 123.

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.

• mental health
• London