Eight deaths spark ‘exceptional step’ from city coroners Action call on mental health service funding
BIRMINGHAM’S coroners service has warned of more suicide tragedies unless extra money is found for mental health services.
All eight coroners – senior coroner Louise Hunt and her seven assistants – have taken the unprecedented step of issuing alerts and demands for action in eight cases before inquests have been held.
The documents – called Report to Prevent Future Deaths – are usually only issued after a hearing.
But during the inquest into the death of Michael Wheeler, it was revealed that Birmingham Coroner’s Office was so concerned about the lack of provision for mental health services it had taken the unusual move.
After ruling that 57-year-old Mr Wheeler killed himself while suffering from a mental health episode, assistant coroner James Bennett gave details of the move.
Mr Wheeler, 57, jumped from a fourth floor fire escape at his Edgbaston home.
He had previously been sent home from hospital with no medication or diagnosis.
Mr Bennett said Mr Wheeler’s death was one of eight which had raised “red flags” for the coroners.
Mr Bennett said the reports were sent to NHS bosses and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust shortly after Mr Wheeler’s death in the summer.
A coroner can write a Report to Prevent Future Deaths and send it to a person, organisation, local authority, government department or agency when they feel action needs to be taken to stop another fatality.
All reports are also sent to the Chief Coroner who will, in most cases, publish them and the responses on his website.
Mr Bennett said to issue such reports before an inquest had been held was “an exceptional step”.
“We [the coroners in Birmingham and Solihull] began to see a theme in mental health deaths,” he said.
“That theme was a lack resources and a lack of finances.
“We were concerned about the impact it had and the risk it presented to others in the future.”
He said of the eight mental health deaths which caused them concern, three inquests had already been completed, and five more were pending.
Mr Bennett said: “We are in the process of receiving replies from NHS England and the Clinical Commissioning Groups.”
“In the case of Michael Wheeler, if a Report to Prevent Future Deaths hadn’t already been sent, I would done so after this hearing.”
He said in Mr Wheeler’s case, there was no criticism of the individual NHS workers who dealt with him, but there was of the system. of