Sandesh Singh & DWF successful in representation of charity at Article 2 ligature inquest
Sandesh Singh, instructed by Simon Belfield, Joanne Witheford and Kate Kay of DWF and Simon Jenkinson of MS Amlin represented a charity which provides health and social care services at a two-week Article 2 inquest before HM Senior Coroner for Manchester (City).
The case concerned the death of a patient at a specialist mental health unit, which was run by the charity in collaboration with an NHS Trust. The deceased had been diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and was detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. She had self-harmed in various ways, including by applying ligatures, whilst at the unit.
In the early hours of the morning on a day in January 2019, the deceased was found by support staff with a ligature around her neck. Around an hour later, she applied a further ligature to her neck which led to her death. It was suggested that, after the first incident, the deceased should have been placed on 1:1 observations and that her bedroom ought to have been searched for other items which could be used as a ligature.
At the conclusion of the inquest, the Jury delivered positive findings that the decisions made after the first incident were reasonable. The Jury also rejected a suggestion that the death was contributed to by neglect.
