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A tragic incident at a mental health hospital has been deemed as unlawful by an inquest jury following the death of a 14-year-old girl. Ruth Szymankiewicz, who was being treated for an eating disorder, was left unattended for about 15 minutes at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire. Despite being observed by a staff member with fake papers, Ruth was found unconscious in her room shortly after.
The hospital, which has since closed down, had received inadequate ratings and was found to require improvement in separate inspections by the Care Quality Commission. More than half of the staff on Ruth’s ward were absent, leading to a staff member from another ward, who had falsified papers and no prior healthcare experience, being assigned to watch her. Unfortunately, CCTV footage showed the staff member leaving Ruth unattended before she was discovered in distress.
Contributing factors to Ruth’s death included inadequate staff training, unsuitable care practices, and unrestricted access to harmful material online. The limited visiting arrangements also played a role in the tragedy. Ruth’s parents, who described her as a bright and loving girl, expressed their disappointment in the system that was supposed to care for her but instead failed to keep her safe.
The Active Care Group, the organization that ran the hospital, expressed its regret over the incident and highlighted the significant improvements made to enhance the quality and safety of their services. They severed ties with the recruitment agency responsible for the staff member’s false papers and reiterated their commitment to preventing such tragic events in the future. Ruth’s family continues to mourn the loss of their beloved daughter, emphasizing the irreplaceable void left by her absence
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