Rapid response - Valdo Calocane: Report on Nottingham killer identifies catalogue of care failings (15 August 2024)

Summary

This rapid response by consultant psychiatrist Rachel Gibbons responds to a BMJ article about the murders of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates by Valdo Calocane, who had schizophrenia.  She outlines her concerns about coverage of the case, citing the CQC report and coverage of the case on BBC Radio 4. She highlights the difficult position healthcare professionals now find themselves in and outlines the need to manage public expectations of how mental health services are able to manage risk in the context of a system with resource constraints. Dr Gibbons states that there is a danger in making a "comparison between idealised standards of mental health care and the realities faced by healthcare providers."