Mental health hospital ‘neglect’ contributed to death of man, 24
AN inquest jury has concluded that ‘neglect’ caused a series of failings at a hospital for patients with serious mental health problems that contributed to the death of 24-yearold man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
Sam Copestick died as a result of self-inflicted injuries at the Royal Oldham Hospital on May 20, 2019, three days after running away from a support worker while out on a walk to the shops from Birch Hill Hospital’s Prospect Place unit at Wardle, Rochdale, where he was a long-term patient under the Mental Health Act.
At the end of a four-day inquest into his death, the jury of 11 men and women delivered the damning conclusion for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Birch Hill Hospital.
Part of the jury’s conclusion read: “Samuel Copesick died as a result of injuries sustained following selfsuspension from a ligature while suffering delusions due to paranoid schizophrenia. His death was contributed to by neglect.”
The jury also concluded that Sam should not have been allowed leave, given the concerns of his mother Helen McHale at the last care planning meeting.
The jury also identified a number of other failings which contributed
to Sam’s death, including:
Failure to implement lessons of previous complaints by Sam’s parents regarding under-estimation of risk
Failure to give adequate weight to Sam’s mother’s concerns regarding his mental health following his brother’s death
Failure to check the leave form which instructed two staff members to escort Sam.
During the course of the inquest, the Trust apologised to the family and accepted numerous failures including:
There was an absence of a risk management plan
There was a failure to liaise with Sam’s mother, despite her raising concerns
The staff member who did escort Sam should have had a phone or radio, in case he absconded.
Sam, from Rochdale, began to experience mental ill-health after starting university in Liverpool, which worsened after the sudden death of his younger brother Matthew. In the weeks before his death he had refused to go out, finding it too distressing. Yet on the day he died Sam requested leave, seemingly out of the blue.
Following the inquest, Clare Parker, director of quality, nursing and healthcare professionals at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would again like to offer our deepest apologies to Sam’s family. Our thoughts go out to them and all those who knew Sam.
“We are truly sorry about the failings and put an improvement plan in place straight after our investigation to try and ensure this never happens again. This has included investment into a dedicated service manager and also a head of quality post.”
After the hearing Sam’s father, Lee Copestick, said: “In the last two-and-a-half years of Sam’s life I slept a little easier believing he was in a safe place. Since Sam’s passing, I have been angry and deeply sad realising that was not the case.
“These feelings remain now that the court too has concluded that Sam’s death was preventable. I hope that Pennine Care go away and make big changes to ensure that no one ever has to endure what we have been through.”