NHS mental health trust is fined £200,000 after two teenage girls took their ... trends now
Two suicidal patients took their own lives after receiving inadequate care from a hospital trust which presided over wards which were 'chaotic and unsafe.'
Christie Harnett, 17, and a young mother identified as Patient X, both took their own lives while under the care of Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust.
Despite repeated self harm attempts by both, the Trust admitted in court today that it failed in its duty to provide safe care and treatment.
In Christie's case she had tried 10 times to hang herself using a ligature in the two years leading up to her death in West Lane Hospital, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire.
But her carers still failed to properly monitor her or remove items that could have been used as ligatures, Teesside magistrates court heard.
Christie Harnett (pictured), 17, and a young mother identified as Patient X, both took their own lives while under the care of Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust
In Christie's case she had tried 10 times to hang herself using a ligature in the two years leading up to her death in West Lane Hospital
On June 23rd 2019, following numerous and escalating suicide attempts, Christie succeeded in killing herself by hanging in a communal bathroom.
Another patient raised the alarm when water was seen to be flowing under the locked door and the teenager was discovered soon afterwards by staff. She died later in intensive care without regaining consciousness.
Jason Pitter, KC, prosecuting for the Care Quality Commission, said:
'Between the ages of 15 and 17 Christie spent 603 out of 752 nights in hospital.
'She was admitted as an inpatient on 10 separate occasions and detained under the mental health act on 11 occasions. There were numerous self harming incidents, including 19 by neck ligature.'
The Trust observed that the incidents of self harm were 'escalating in degree and frequency' but still failed to carry out proper risk assessments.
Mr Pitter said: 'Risk assessments for Christie failed to adequately identify the high risk of self harm and particularly the high ligature risk. The risk of self harm was under-appreciated by the staff and risks were not mitigated as fully as they could have been.
'In essence the Trust failed to put in place appropriate risk assessments and consequential risk control and mitigation measures and staff were not able to keep her safe.'
In its investigation the CQC found: 'Christie's care plan should have identified the ligature risk and strategies to minimise that.'
The commission also found the Trust failed in its supervision of Christie and in removing items that could have been used as ligatures.
Patient X, a mother of four from Teesside, cannot be named to protect her children from discovering the details surrounding her death on November 22nd 2020 after being found hanging from a ligature in Middlesbrough's Roseberry Park psychiatric unit.
She was admitted to the unit on November 7th after she was found to be having suicidal thoughts.
The following day she was found semi conscious by staff after using a ligature in an attempt to take her own life.
Tributes were paid to the teenagers who tragically died at a crisis-hit mental health hospital
Patient X said she had voices in her head telling her to kill herself but three days after her suicide attempt in hospital her enhanced observations by staff were reduced to general observations.
On November 19th a member of staff looked into her room and saw the bathroom door was open with the light on but did not check inside.
Instead she assumed the room was empty and continued her ward rounds for a further 15 minutes
