Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2015

Charlotte Bevan and Zaani Malbrouck

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2015-0418, written 27 Oct 2015. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report27 Oct 2015
Reference2015-0418
DeceasedCharlotte Bevan and Zaani Malbrouck
CoronerMaria Voisin
Coroner areaAvon
CategoryChild Death (from 2015) · Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published1

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1)

NOTE: This form is to be used after an inquest.

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS
THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:

4. lain Tulley — Chief Executive

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health NHS Trust

Jenner House

Langley Park Estate

Chippenham

Wiltshire

SN15 1GG |
|

1 | CORONER

1 am Maria Voisin, Senior Coroner, for the Area of Avon.

2 | CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
and regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

3 | INVESTIGATION and INQUEST
|

On 12" December 2014 | commenced an investigation into the death of:
e Charlotte Emily BEVAN, Aged 30, and
e  Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck, aged 4 days.

The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 19" October 2015. The
conclusion of the inquest for Charlotte was that she died due to 1a) Multiple Injuries with
Section 3 of the Record of Inquest Form reading as follows:

Charlotte Bevan had schizophrenia and was under the care of the mental health service.
On 28th November 2014, she gave birth to her daughter at St Michaels Hospital, after
which her mental health began to deteriorate. Charlotte left the hospital unnoticed on the
Tuesday 2nd December 2014 at 20.36hrs she walked straight from the hospital to the
cliff top at the Avon Gorge. At the time she left the hospital she was suffering with a
psychotic relapse that had not been diagnosed. Her body was recovered from the base
of the cliff at the Avon Gorge on 3rd December 2014, her death was confirmed at

21.17hrs.

The narrative conclusion for Charlotte | found based on the evidence was as follows:

Charlotte had schizophrenia, and was under the care of the mental health service.
In early 2014 she became pregnant. There was a failure by her care coordinator
who was managing Charlotte from July 2014 to develop a therapeutic relationship i
with Charlotte during this high risk period and to involve a psychiatrist in her care
and treatment. There was a failure to hold a multidisciplinary team meeting to
develop a care plan for Charlotte at all, but especially when concerns were raised
by the midwives during her pregnancy, and later when it was known that she had
stopped taking her Risperidone, (a fact which was reported on 14th November
2014). In addition there was a failure to arrange a face to face meeting with a
psychiatrist and Charlotte when she stopped her Risperidone, which was a
missed opportunity in managing Charlotte's care. Once Charlotte gave birth on |
28th November 2014 her mental health began to deteriorate and she suffered a :
relapse which should have been diagnosed and managed appropriately by those
responsible for her mental health. That failure was contributed to by the fact there
was no plan. Charlotte was therefore very unwell when she left the hospital |
unnoticed with her daughter and went to the cliff top at the Avon Gorge on 2nd i
December 2014, her intention is unclear but she was found dead at the base of the
cliff. That chain of failures contributed to Charlotte's death.

in relation to Zaani her cause of death was recorded as 1a) Head Injury. Section 3 of the
Record of Inquest form read as follows:

Zaani Bevan-Malbrouck was born at St Michaels Hospital on 28th November 2014. On
2nd December 2014 she was taken from the hospital by her mother who had
schizophrenia and was at the time suffering with a psychotic relapse that had not been
diagnosed. Her Mother took her straight to the cliff top at the Avon Gorge, her body was
recovered on 4th December 2014 amongst shrubbery growing from the cliff face, about
40 feet from the base of the cliff. Her death was confirmed at 15:02 hrs.

And the conclusion as to death of Zaani based upon the evidence was a narrative which
read as follows:

Zaani was 4 days old when she was taken by her Mother from St Michaels
Hospital to the cliff top at the Avon Gorge. Her Mother had schizophrenia and was
suffering with a relapse following her birth. Her Mother's intention is unclear but
Zaani was found dead on the cliff face on 4th December 2014, Her death was
contributed to by a chain of failures in her Mothers care.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

These are explained within section 3 above but briefly Charlotte who had a history of
schizophrenia gave birth to Zaani on 21° November 2014. Charlotte’s mental health
deteriorated and on 4" December she left the hospital with Zaani and walked to the cliff
top at the Avon Gorge. Both Charlotte and Zaani’s bodies were found subsequently.

CORONER’S CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In
my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. In the
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

It was not stated in evidence - that in all cases when a lady with a known mental health
condition becomes pregnant that there is a multi-disciplinary team meeting to include all
or some of the following professionals: GP, midwife, obstetrician, consultant psychiatrist,
care co-ordinator, social services; and any others to be deemed appropriate.

It was not stated in evidence - that and an appropriate care plan involving all agencies
and professionals is drawn up and then widely circulated to those professionals who are
involved with the care and treatment of the patient. That group to include; GP, midwife,
obstetrician, consultant psychiatrist, care co-ordinator, social services; and any others to
be deemed appropriate.

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you have the
power to take such action.

| would ask that you look into taking steps in relation to ensuring that there are multi-
disciplinary meetings in all cases with an appropriate care plan which is then widely
circulated.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,
namely by 29" December 2015. I, the Coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.

COPIES and PUBLICATION

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested
Persons — the family, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust and to the LOCAL

SAFEGUARDING BOARD.
| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful
or of interest. You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your
response, about the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner.

27 October 2015 MN. E. Voisin

Responses

1 response published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from Respondent Not Named (PDF)
24 DEC 208 Avon and Wiltshire [a/Fe3

Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Chief Executive's Office

Maria Voisin ' 4
Senior Coroner ied Dek
The Coroner's Court oe ley Parl
The Courthouse ippenrem
Old Weston Road iltshire
Flax Bourton ; SN15 1GG
BS48 1UL Tel: 01249 468023
23 December 2015

Dear Ms Voisin

| am writing in response to the Prevention of Future Death report you issued to this Trust following the
inquest into the death of Charlotte Bevan deceased.

At our December Critical Incident Overview Group meeting, we examined the perinatal pathways in
place across the Trust for pregnant women and noted that there was variability, and more variability
than canbe accounted for by the different commissioning arrangements and service delivery

models. As such, Dr Kathryn Bundle, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist has been tasked to review the
individual pathway arrangements against the NICE guidelines for antenatal and post-natal mental
health care, with the aim of agreeing a pathway that can be agreed and implemented Trust wide. This
work is well underway with draft algorithms developed that are being consulted on and tested. The
pathways are underpinned very much by multi-disciplinary care planning and co-ordination that you
found missing in Charlotte’s care and require the undertaking of multi-disciplinary team meetings and
the revision and updating of the care plan as part of that process.

In addition, although we have not found the need to revise our existing policies, systems and
procedures in light of Charlotte’s and Zaani’s deaths, we do plan to prepare and issue in the New Year
a vignette of Charlotte's care that can be shared with all teams as a valuable reflective training
exercise. This will place emphasis on the importance of multi-disciplinary working and care planning.
This vignette will be issued with prominence via our internal safety alert system, that requires positive
confirmation that action has been taken. Implementation of change will be monitored via our

supervision and appraisal processes.

Finally, we will of course continue to work with NHS England to help them review the commissioning
model for perinatal mental health services.

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Yours sincerely

if

ay
i

Dr Hayley Richards
Acting Chief Executive

Chair Trust Headquarters Acting Chiet
Anthony Gallagher Jenner House, Langley Park, Chippenham SN15 1GG Dr Hayley Richards

We are a teaching, learning and research trust; we aim to inform you about relevant opportunities,
unless you tell us otherwise.’

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