Under-fire NHS trust recorded patient ate breakfast three days after he died

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BBC News journalists Alison Holt and James Melley reported on the serious concerns raised over the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) regarding the deaths of 20 patients over the past decade. These concerns were highlighted by coroners who criticized the trust for issues such as the quality of risk assessments and record-keeping. Shockingly, in two cases, patient notes were found to have been falsified, including one man who was documented as eating breakfast three days after he had passed away.

Following a recent trial, NELFT was found guilty of health and safety breaches in the case of 22-year-old Alice Figueiredo, who tragically lost her life while receiving care at the Goodmayes hospital. Alice had made numerous attempts to harm herself, using plastic bags taken from the same communal toilet, which were not removed despite the risks. Despite being cleared of corporate manslaughter, NELFT expressed sympathy for Alice’s family and pledged to consider the implications of the verdict.

The BBC’s investigation revealed that over the last decade, NELFT has been repeatedly criticized by coroners for failures in patient care, with nearly 30 prevention of future deaths reports mentioning the trust. Issues included poor risk assessment, inadequate record-keeping, lack of communication between staff, and patients being kept on long-term medication without review. In response to these criticisms, NELFT stated that they are continuously working to improve patient safety and treatment, as well as enhancing record-keeping and staff training.

Tragically, one of the cases highlighted involves Winbourne Charles, who took his own life at Goodmayes Hospital. Described as a “beautiful man, a beautiful soul,” Winbourne struggled with depression, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. His wife Carole, along with their children, were devastated by his passing and shocked to learn of the failures in his care that contributed to his death. The coroner’s report detailed instances where observations were neglected, records were altered, and key protocols were not followed, leading to Winbourne’s tragic outcome.

The family’s experiences shed light on the need for a change in the mental health care system, with Carole expressing doubts about NELFT’s commitment to improvement

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More

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