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Showing results for tags 'Self harm/ suicide'.
Found 205 results
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News ArticleA warning has been made over the possible side effects of a common NHS antibiotic by a coroner after a newly retired senior doctor died by suicide. "Respected and experienced" consultant cardiologist Robert Stevenson had no history of depression or mental health problems before he started a course of ciprofloxacin. But just over a week later, the 63-year-old went for a walk and messaged his wife to tell her he had left a note under his pillow. He was later found dead in a nearby wood. The note he had left was said to be "uncharacteristically confused and illogical" with "baseless concerns" that he might have AIDS after taking an online HIV tester kit, an inquest heard. The hearing was told Dr Stevenson hadn't been told about a "potential rare link" to suicidal behaviour in patients who took the drug, as this wasn't in line with medical guidance. Now, coroner Martin Fleming issued a warning to highlight the risk of taking the antibiotic, which is prescribed by the health service for serious conditions. Read full story Source: The Mirror, 20 June 2023
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Content ArticleMr Stevenson was a 63-year-old man who was a very respected and experienced Consultant Cardiologist and General Physician at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, who resigned from his post in May 2022 to enter full retirement. On 6 May 2022 he was referred to the urology department for the investigation of possible prostate cancer, when a decision was also made to consult a private Consultant Urologist. In order to relieve his symptoms of prostatitis and to make him ready for an investigative biopsy, he was prescribed ciprofloxacin on the 19 May. He had no previous history of depression or mental health problems. Subsequently on the morning of 30 May 2022, Mr Stevenson left his home address on his own for his usual walk. He had not previously given any indications to his family for them to be concerned for him. At approximately 12.30pm his wife received a Facebook message from Mr Stevenson to indicate that he had left a note under the pillow of his bed. The note was found to be uncharacteristically confused and illogical given his reference to his baseless concerns that he may have developed AIDs after taking a HIV tester kit he had previously bought on line. Mr Stevenson was found hanging nearby. Upon the arrival of the paramedics, although resuscitative attempts were made, it was confirmed that he had passed away. During the inquest the coroner was referred by Mr Stevenson’s treating urologist to published literature relating to ciprofloxacin and quinolone antibiotics and a potential rare link to suicide behaviour in patients; although it remained unclear that he was suffering from this side effect, it remained possible for this to be the case.
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News Article
NHS 'corrected mistakes' after son's suicide
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An NHS trust has been accused of adding to the records of a man the day after he took his own life to "correct their mistakes". Charles Ndhlovu, 33, died under the care of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) in 2017. Mr Ndhlovu, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and substance misuse, had been under CPFT's care two months when he died. He had been transferred from a neighbouring trust after moving to Ely and then been taken off a community treatment order. His mother, Angelina Pattison, told the BBC that despite being heavily involved in her son's care, she was "shocked that they transferred him without even telling me". A trust serious untoward incident (SUI) review acknowledged that when he was transferred no-one from CPFT had asked about whether his family had been involved in his care. Ms Pattison said: "They didn't have any address of [my home] in his care plan and the care plan was done when he died - when they were running around to correct their mistakes, which they have done" The BBC has separately spoken to consultant nurse and psychotherapist Des McVey, who was asked by the trust to investigate a complaint in July 2021, understood to be the one from Ms Pattison. Mr McVey said: "I noticed that the deceased did have care plans, but they were written the day after his death and they were also evaluated the day after his death and I was concerned that this wasn't picked up by the SUI." He said this "really alarmed me", adding: "Surprisingly, there was no care plan to address his suicidal ideation and he had... an extensive history of trying to kill himself." Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 June 2023 . -
News Article
Labour vows to reverse rise in suicides in England and Wales within five years
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A Labour government would reverse the rise in the number of deaths from suicide as part of a health plan to replace pain and anxiety with a “hope of a renewed NHS”, Keir Starmer will pledge. In a speech today, the Labour leader will say his plan for reforming the NHS will focus on the biggest causes of death in the UK including suicide. He will point to coroners’ statistics showing that deaths from suicides have been rising since 2008, and reached a record high last year in England and Wales. If the party takes power Labour will reverse this rise within five years, Starmer will say. A segment of his speech previewed by the party says: “Suicide is the biggest killer of young lives in this country. The biggest killer. That statistic should haunt us. And the rate is going up. Our mission must be and will be to get it down.” Labour has not provided details on how it proposes to meet this pledge other than an aspiration to shift from “sickness to prevention”. Starmer will also propose introducing new NHS targets on cutting deaths in England from heart disease and strokes by a quarter over 10 years. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 May 2023 -
News Article
150 ‘sexual safety incidents’ reported at ‘inadequate’ service in six months
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A mental health trust’s acute and intensive care wards have been downgraded to “inadequate”, following a series of incidents including sexual assaults, fire setting, and patients taking their own lives while on leave. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection was prompted by reports of several serious incidents involving patients in these services. These included three occasions where patients had taken their own lives while on leave from wards, and four incidents where fires had been set at the Redwoods Centre in Shrewsbury. Inspectors also identified a steep rise in mixed accommodation breaches, with just one ward out of the four inspected at St George’s Hospital in Stafford and none of the three inspected at Redwoods providing single sex units. The CQC report added “there were concerns about the implications of mixed sex ward environments contributing to sexual safety incidents”, with 158 such incidents recorded in a six-month period leading up to the inspection. These included assaults, verbal threats of sexual assault, and sexual orientation related abuse, with 126 recorded at Redwoods and 32 at St George’s. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 May 2023 -
Content Article
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. It has a wide range of symptoms and can affect both children and adults—people with ADHD may find it hard to focus on or complete tasks, feel restless or impatient, experience impulsiveness and find it hard to organise their time and their things.[1] ADHD can have devastating mental health implications and research studies have linked ADHD to increased suicide and mortality rates. This means that being unable to access effective treatment can be a patient safety risk for people with ADHD. In this blog, Lotty Tizzard, Patient Safety Learning’s Content and Engagement Manager, explores the state of ADHD diagnosis and treatment in the UK. She looks at why many are concerned about the waiting times for adults and children seeking an ADHD assessment and speaks to Elsa*, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s, about her experiences. *Name changed -
News Article
Poor mental health support during pregnancy risks UK women’s lives
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women’s lives are being put at risk by substandard mental health care during their pregnancy and in the first year after childbirth in most parts of the UK, a report has found. About one in every five women develops a mental illness at some point during the perinatal period, the stage from pregnancy up to a year after giving birth. However, none of the health and social care boards in Northern Ireland or Wales met the national quality standards created by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Perinatal Quality Network (PQN). Maternal deaths due to mental health problems are also increasing, with maternal suicide being the lead cause of deaths in the first year after childbirth. Despite this, the report by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) found that many specialist perinatal mental health services do not receive adequate attention or investment, or meet the quality standard of care. The minimum standard of care that women, babies and families should receive is defined as PQN standards type 1. In England, only 16% of the specialist perinatal mental health community teams met these standards. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 May 2023 -
News Article
Almost one in three doctors investigated by GMC ‘have suicidal thoughts’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Almost one in three UK doctors investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) think about taking their own life, a survey has found. Many doctors under investigation feel they are treated as “guilty until proven innocent” and face “devastating” consequences, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) said. Its survey of 197 doctors investigated by the GMC over the last five years found: 31% said they had suicidal thoughts. 8% had quit medicine and another 29% had thought about doing so. 78% said the investigation damaged their mental health. 91% said it triggered stress and anxiety. The MPS, which represents doctors accused of wrongdoing, accused the GMC of lacking compassion, being heavy-handed and failing to appreciate its impact on doctors. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 April 2023 -
Content ArticleThis report is the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health's (NCISH) annual report on UK patient and general population data for 2010-2020. It includes findings relating to people aged 10 and above who died by suicide between 2010 and 2020 across all UK countries as well as people under mental health care who have been convicted of homicide, and those in the general population.
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Content ArticleSamuel Howes was 17 when he died by suicide in September 2020. Samuel had ongoing mental health issues including anxiety and depression. This led to his use of drugs and dependency on alcohol, which in turn further worsened his mental health. This blog by his mother Suzanne details her experience of the final day of the inquest into her son's death, which found multiple failings on the part of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), social services and the police.
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Content ArticleA number of serious concerns have been raised about the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, relating to patient safety, governance processes and organisational culture. The Trust has been under review by the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB), following a junior doctor at the trust, Dr Vaishnavi Kumar, taking her own life in June 2022. In response to these concerns, a series of rapid independently-led reviews have been commissioned at the Trust. This report outlines the outcomes of the first of these reviews, which is focused on clinical safety. It identified a number of issues which require attention, setting out 17 recommendations for further action.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Jennifer Nelson investigates why doctors have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. She speaks to experts including health psychologist Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt, who highlights that doctors tend to have a lower level of cognitive flexibility, which may affect their ability to cope when things don't go to plan. Psychotherapist Brad Fern goes on to describe the complex range of reasons that doctors may take their own lives, and describes the importance of tackling silence and isolation among doctors. The blog concludes by addressing the need to separate suicide from other wellbeing issues doctors might face, and by looking at how the system itself contributes to high suicide rates.
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News Article
My daughter took her own life after pain caused by mesh surgery
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman whose daughter took her own life after being left in chronic pain caused by giving birth has spoken of her family's heartbreak. Sara Baines, 34, from Flintshire, died in September last year leaving her family devastated. This week an inquest heard Sara suffered from chronic pain due to complications resulting from surgical mesh that was implanted after she gave birth in 2011. Her mother, Alison Sharrock, says Sara was failed by the health system on multiple occasions. Sara bled heavily whilst giving birth and suffered a second-degree tear. She had to have two surgeries to repair the tear, neither of which was completely successful. Sara found herself completely incontinent, at the age of 24. In 2015, Sara was advised to have mesh fitted. Alison said: "We were told the mesh was a 'quick-fix'. It felt like the answer to all her problems and she was thrilled. She had surgery but afterwards, though the incontinence improved, she had terrible abdominal pain." The pain became so severe that Sara was offered a hysterectomy, aged 28. Afterwards, the pain only intensified, and her general health deteriorated. She suffered water infections, skin rashes, gum disease and unexplained pain. Unable to eat or sleep, she became depressed and anxious. "She felt nobody was really listening to her. She felt she was gaslighted and fobbed off," said Alison. Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh which has almost 10,000 members suffering irreversible pan and complications from surgical mesh implants, said: "Our hearts go out to Sara's family. Nine out of 10 people in our support group were not told any risks of having a plastic mesh permanently implanted." Read full story Source: Mail Online, 24 March 2023 Further reading on the hub: Doctors’ shocking comments reveal institutional misogyny towards women harmed by pelvic mesh “There’s no problem with the mesh”: A personal account of the struggle to get vaginal mesh removal surgery ‘Mesh removal surgery is a postcode lottery’ - patients harmed by surgical mesh need accessible, consistent treatment -
News Article
Self-harm hospital admissions up 22% for children aged eight to 17
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Self-harm hospital admissions for children aged eight to 17 in the UK jumped 22% in one year. The age group is now the largest for self-harm admissions, with all others seeing a drop, according to NHS data. Charities say early access to support is vital, but high thresholds and long waiting lists mean more young people are ending up in hospital. Emily Nuttal, 29, first struggled with self-harm when she was 12. At 13, she was first admitted to A&E. At that time, she was struggling with changes at school, bullying and troubles at home. Over the years, she said she had had varied experiences in accident and emergency departments. "It's been times where it's been really empathetic and passionate people, understanding, supportive. And there's been times where there's been that stigma and judgement." She said being labelled as "attention-seeking" was really difficult and made it harder to reach out for help again. "I would then only go if I was forced upon by the crisis service, or if somebody else noticed, and they got people involved," she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 23 March 2023 -
News ArticleThe link between menopause and poor mental health should be reviewed, the health watchdog has said, after an inquiry into a woman’s suicide found staff lack training to spot the risks. Frances Wellburn, 56, took her own life in 2020 after she was incorrectly assessed as being a “medium risk” of suicide by Tees, Esk and Wear NHS Trust (TEWV). A national study by the Health and Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), prompted by her death, warned that this was a national problem, with funding and capacity problems driving staff to use ineffective “checklist” tools when assessing suicidal patients. HSIB also found staff were not trained to spot mental health risks associated with menopause, and menopause is not routinely considered a contributing factor among women with low mood who need help. It said that women are often prescribed antidepressants when hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would be more appropriate. In Ms Wellburn’s case, HSIB found TEWV staff had failed to take into account that she was going through menopause when they assessed her as being at medium risk of self-harm. This went against national guidance, which states scales should not be used to predict future suicide or self-harm. Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 March 2023
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Content ArticleThis investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) aimed to support improvements in the work of community mental health teams (CMHTs). Specifically, the investigation looked at the following four areas: assessing a patient’s risk of self-harm or suicide considering menopause as a risk factor for mental health conditions engaging with families caring for people with a first episode of psychosis. Reference event Ms A was 56 years old when she came into contact with mental health services for the first time in September 2019, following a suicide attempt. Ms A spent a month in hospital, and was then discharged home under the care of a community mental health team (CMHT) with a diagnosis of psychotic depression. At the end of May 2020, Ms A was again admitted to hospital following a second suicide attempt. She again stayed in the hospital for about four weeks before being discharged home under the care of a CMHT. Ms A was seen by CMHT workers regularly throughout July, and had a telephone review with a consultant psychiatrist. At the end of July, Ms A’s family became increasingly concerned about her mental state and were unable to make contact with her. On 2 August, Ms A was found deceased at home having died by suicide.
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Content ArticleNiche Health and Social Care Consulting (Niche) were commissioned by NHS England in November 2019 to undertake an independent investigation into the governance at West Lane Hospital (WLH), Middlesbrough between 2017 up to the hospital closure in 2019. WLH was provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) and delivered Tier 4 child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) inpatient services. This review initially incorporated the care and treatment review findings of two index case events for Christie and Nadia who both died following catastrophic self-ligature at the unit. The Trust subsequently agreed to include the findings of the care and treatment review of Emily which related directly to her time at West Lane Hospital, even though Emily did not die at this site. This is to ensure that optimal learning could be achieved from this review.
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News Article
‘Insufficiently curious’ leaders ‘tolerated’ safety failures
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Leaders at a mental health trust tolerated high levels of safety incidents and accepted verbal assurance with ‘insufficient professional curiosity’, a critical report has found. An NHS England-commissioned review into governance at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust has been published, reviewing the organisation’s response to serious safety concerns flagged at the former West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough. It follows separate reports identifying “systemic failures” over the deaths of inpatients Christie Harnett, Nadia Sharif and Emily Moore. The new report, conducted by Niche Consulting, criticises board and service leaders’ handling of concerns about the regular occurrence of restraint and self-harm. More than a dozen incidents of inappropriate restraint, some seeing patients dragged along the floor, were identified in November 2018, resulting in multiple staff suspensions and some dismissals. Niche found there was a “lack of accountable leadership at all levels” and lack of evidence for decisions in response to the November 2018 incidents. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 21 March 2023 -
Content ArticleThis letter to NHS mental health trusts, Integrated Care Boards and Commissioners outlines NHS England's position on the use of Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) in NHS mental health services. SIM is a model of care that has been used with people with mental health issues who are considered high-intensity users of emergency services. It is a controversial approach as it instructs services providing emergency care not to provide support to these individuals.
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Content ArticleThis practical advice and guidance from the Association of Anaesthetists aims to help anaesthetists and other healthcare staff to look after their mental wellbeing. It covers the following topics: Achieving a work/life balance Using mindfulness Managing stress Coping with death Dealing with bullying Guidelines to help anaesthetists at risk of suicide
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News Article
Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust prosecuted after three patients died
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A mental health trust is to be prosecuted after three patients died in its care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is bringing charges against the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Trust. It is thought they relate to the deaths of Christie Harnett, 17, Emily Moore, 18, and a third person. The trust is said to have failed "to provide safe care and treatment" which exposed patients to "significant risk of avoidable harm". Both Christie Harnett and Emily Moore had complex mental health issues and took their own lives. The CQC said the trust "breached" the Health and Social Care Act, which relates to healthcare providers' responsibility to "ensure people receive safe care and treatment". In response, a spokesperson for the trust said: "We have fully cooperated with the Care Quality Commission's investigation and continue to work closely with them. "We remain focused on delivering safe and kind care to our patients and have made significant progress in the last couple of years." Read full story Source: BBC News, 25 February 2023 -
Content ArticleThe word 'controversy' almost always accompanies any reference to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). It has a dark history and remains a deeply contentious practice. For many, ECT is seen as outdated, forever linked with frightening images of medical abuse, cruelty and even punishment. In this programme for BBC Radio 4, Professor Sally Marlow met her friend Dr Tania Gergel at King’s College London, which forced her to reassess everything she thought she knew about ECT. Tania told Sally that ECT had saved her life on numerous occasions and that ECT is the only treatment that can bring her back to health after episodes of severe depression, psychosis and mania. Tania is Director of Research at Bipolar UK. She’s a philosopher and an internationally respected medical ethicist. She also lives with a serious mental illness; an unusual mixed type of bipolar disorder. During her last period of illness a year ago, Tania kept an audio diary., which she shares extracts from throughout the programme in order to break down stigma around both mental illness and ECT.
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News Article
Suicidal NHS staff left in ‘dangerous limbo’ as mental health help ends
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Suicidal NHS staff will be left in “dangerous” situations without support when national funding for mental health hubs ends next month, health leaders have warned. The hubs, set up with £15 million of government funding for NHS workers following Covid, are being forced to close or reduce services as neither the Department for Health and Social Care nor the NHS has confirmed ongoing funding for 2023-24. This will leave thousands of NHS staff, some of whom are described as “suicidal” in “complete limbo”, The Independent has been told. The British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Association of Clinical Psychologists (ACP) said the failure to continue the funding was an “irresponsible” way to treat vulnerable health and care workers. Professor Mike Wang, chair of ACP, said: “There is a clinical responsibility, not to remove a service from individuals who are vulnerable, and in difficulty … the problem with that is that the funding ceases at the end of March and that’s absolutely no time at all to make any [future] provision. So, it’s clinically irresponsible to simply halt a service. Some of these individuals are, you know, carrying suicide risk.” He said it was “dangerous” and “astonishing” that funding for the hubs was ending “given the present circumstances of continuing effects of the pandemic, clear evidence of underfunding of health care in this country”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 22 February 2023 -
News ArticleA high court judge has expressed her “deep frustration” at NHS delays and bureaucracy that mean a suicidal 12-year-old girl has been held on her own, in a locked, windowless room with no access to the outdoors for three weeks. In a hearing on Thursday, Mrs Justice Lieven told North Staffordshire combined healthcare NHS trust “you are testing my patience”, after she heard that a proposal to move Becky (not her real name), could not progress until a planning meeting that would not be held until next week, and that a move was not anticipated until 2 March. Three sets of doctors at the hospital trust have disagreed as to Becky’s diagnosis; at her most recent assessment doctors said she was not eligible to be sectioned, which would trigger the protections provided by the Mental Health Act, because her mental disorder was not of the “nature and degree” as to warrant her detention. In a robust exchange, the judge demanded: “Where’s the urgency in this … I cannot believe that the life and health of a 12-year-old girl is hanging on an issue of NHS procurement, when you cannot tell me what it is you’re trying to procure. “If the delay is procurement, I’m not having it,” Lieven continued. “I will use the inherent jurisdiction to make an order. We have a 12-year-old child in a completely inappropriate NHS unit for about three weeks, and it’s suddenly dawned on your client that ‘actually we’ll put her in a Tier 4 unit and we might have to do some [building] work.’” Sometimes, the judge said, “public bodies have to move faster”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 February 2023
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News Article
WHO reveals one-third of prisoners in Europe suffer mental health disorders
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One in three prisoners in Europe suffer from mental health disorders, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a new report. While European prisons managed adequate COVID-19 pandemic responses for inmates, concerns remain about poor mental health services, overcrowding and suicide rates, the report stated. “Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend,” said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO regional office for Europe. “Incarceration should never become a sentence to poorer health. All citizens are entitled to good-quality health care regardless of their legal status.” The second status report on prison health in the WHO European region provides an overview of the performance of prisons in the region based on survey data from 36 countries, where more than 600,000 people are incarcerated. Findings showed that the most prevalent condition among people in prison was mental health disorders, affecting 32.8% of the prison population. The report drew attention to several areas of concern, including overcrowding and a lack of services for mental health, which represents the greatest health need among people in prison across the region. The most common cause of death in prisons was suicide, with a much higher rate than in the wider community, the report found. Read full story Source: United Nations, 14 February 2023
