Why do suicides keep happening? .................in Norfolk

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Why do suicides keep happening?

NAOMI CANTON

16 February 2006 10:22

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?

brand=ENOnline & category=News & tBrand=ENOnline & tCategory=news & itemid=NO

ED16%20Feb%202006%2012%3A16%3A09%3A173

A city MP today reignited calls for a public inquiry into the high

rate of suicides at a Norwich mental health unit following the death

of a 46-year-old patient.

Clifford Leggett was found dead at Hellesdon Hospital with shoe

laces tied around his neck and attached to the taps on a bathroom

sink.

In 2002 mental health bosses put together an action plan after

sustained calls from relatives to tackle the high suicide rate.

The trust promised that staff would remove belts and shoe laces from

at-risk patients, and make curtains and shower rails collapsible.

According to audited figures there were 17 suicides at the hospital

between April 1999 and March 2005.

Today, Norwich North MP Dr Ian Gibson said he wanted to see and

independent, public inquiry into why these deaths kept happening.

He said: " There are many questions to be answered and it grieves me

to hear of another such case at Hellesdon Hospital.

" It does seem to be too frequent and one wonders about the

surveillance procedures and if they could not be tightened up to

ensure that we capture people who seem to be at risk much quicker. "

He said that he had frequently raised the high rate of deaths with

bosses at Hellesdon Hospital, but they always came back and told him

suicides were very " infrequent. "

An inquest into Mr Leggett's death was opened and adjourned last

week.

The hearing heard that Mr Leggett, from Bunwell, had been admitted

to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on January 14. He was

later transferred to the Hellesdon Hospital as an in-patient on

Tuesday, February 7. He was not sectioned under the Mental Health

Act but was there as an informal patient.

That day a staff nurse at the hospital found one of the toilet doors

locked.

When he opened it with a master key, he found Mr Leggett with shoe

laces tied around his neck. He was cut free but confirmed dead at

the scene.

Dr Gibson added: " I have asked for an independent, public inquiry

before and they always avoid it. There needs to be one to give the

public reassurance.

" Inquiries are a much better way of preventing this kind of thing

and it means it doesn't land up at an inquest.

" The inquiry would have a lawyer, people who had been patients at

Hellesdon, members of the public. Evidence would be taken and I

could almost bet you that we would identify better procedures. "

He added an inquiry would be " absolutely " independent with the aim

not of apportioning blame but finding out how procedures could be

tightened up.

" I would be glad to do it. But I would just need to know that I

would get support from the public. I do a lot of inquiries into

things like Alzheimer's so I am used to doing it.

" There are several issues that need to be sorted out there and they

are not new. They have been around for some time. "

Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust spokesman

Nicola Brown said: " It is inappropriate for us to comment on the

care leading up to the death as the coroner has yet to hold a full

inquest, but we will assist him in whichever way we can as he draws

up the evidence which will enable him to record a verdict.

She said Mr Leggett's death was subject to a police investigation.

" We have started our own internal investigation, as we always do in

circumstances like this. This investigation will help both us and

the coroner understand more about what happened.

She said the trust extended its condolences to the friends and

family of Clifford Leggett.

" It is always a tragedy when somebody dies in this way; his death is

felt very strongly by the staff who were caring for him. "

Among those to take their own lives while in hospital care at

Hellesdon was Joe Fletcher who hanged himself by his belt while on

suicide watch in 2001.

His mother Jill Howes called for an inquiry into how patients at

risk were cared for and helped implement changes at the hospital to

remove belts and shoelaces from at risk patients.

She said: " A lot has been done at the hospital already but I would

certainly back a proper investigation into why it is still

happening. It chokes me up every time I hear about another suicide. "

In neighbouring Suffolk, there is an average of one suicide year and

mental health units in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds - about a third

of Norfolk's current figures.

The hospital watchdog Healthcare Commission said it was not

currently investigating the suicide rate at Hellesdon Hospital.

Do you have concerns about the level of care at the Hellesdon

Hospital? Call Alasdair McGregor at the Evening News on (01603)

772443 or email al.mcgregor@...