Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2017

Andrew Codling

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2017-0339, written 23 Jun 2017. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report23 Jun 2017
Reference2017-0339
DeceasedAndrew Codling
CoronerIan Pears
Coroner areaBedfordshire and Luton
CategoryCommunity health care and emergency services related deaths · Suicide (from 2015)
Organisation namedEast London NHS Foundation Trust
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.

for Bedfordshire and Luton

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

I
THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:

The Chief Executive

East London NHS Foundation Trust
Corporate Headquarters

| 9 Alie Street i
London. E1 8DE

CORONER

| am IAN PEARS, Acting Senior Coroner, for the coroner Area of Bedfordshire & |
_ Luton

| 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.

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

| On 5 December 2016 | commenced an Investigation into the death of
| ANDREW STUART CODLING aged 39. The investigation concluded at the end
of the Inquest on 18t June 2017. The Conclusion of the Inquest was ‘SUICIDE’.
The medical cause of death was: 1
|
: l(a) Hanging

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

On the 26" November 2016 the Deceased was found hanging at Old Warden |
i Tunnel Woods near Cardington, Bedfordshire. He had had one previous suicide

| attempt and was under the care of the Biggleswade Community Health Team at
the time of his death.

if
| CORONER’S CONCERNS
I
4

Senior Coroner, The Court House, Woburn Street, AMPTHILL, Bedfordshire, MK45 2H1X
Tel 0300-300-6559 | Fax 0300-300-8267

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:

(1) The last call from the Community Health Team to the deceased’s mobile
went to voice mail. It reportedly said “...it is 3.57pm [Friday] now and | |
am leaving the office at 4.00pm. You have literally 3 minutes to call me, |
otherwise , call me Monday if you still need something”.

(2) That call was in response to a call by the deceased.

(3) That call missed the opportunity to re-inforce the fact that there were
other means of help should the deceased require it, including the crisis
numbers already provided by the Service.

(4) Reminding the deceased that there was provision to provide support
before Monday morning may have been all the deceased required to
avoid taking the decision to hang himself particularly, bearing in mind it
was the deceased who had initiated the call

i
16 | ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN
i i
| In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe East
London NHS Foundation Trust have the power to take such action.
7 | YOUR RESPONSE
You are under a duty to respond to this Report within 56 days of the date of this |
| report, namely by 7 August 2017. 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.
8 | COPIES and PUBLICATION \

1

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following
: Interested Persons:

Paula Codling.

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your Response.

Senior Coroner, The Court House, Woburn Street, AMPTHILL, Bedfordshire, MK45 2HX
Tel 300-300-6559 | Fax 300-300-8267

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.

Dated 23rd June 2017

/)

fi

IAN PEARS
Acting Senior Coroner
Bedfordshire & Luton

Senior Coroner, The Court House, Woburn Street, AMPTHILL, Bedfordshire, MK45 2HX.
Tel 0300-300-6559 | Fax 0300-300-8267

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 East London NHS Trust (PDF)
East London
NHS Foundation Trust

Please respond io:

Associate Director of Legal Affairs
Trust Headquarters

9 Alle Street

London

E1 8DE

Telephone: 020 3738 7253

4" August 2017

Acting Senior Coroner lan Pears -
The Court House

Woburn Street

Ampthill

Bedfordshire

MEAS 2HX

ip

ee,

Dear
Inquest touching upon the death of Andrew Codling

This is a formal response to your Regulation 28 Report dated 23° June in which you
sei out your concerns relating fo the care Mr Codling received fram East London
NeiS Foundation Trust,

Your concems related specifically to the handling of a telephone call made by a
member of staff at the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) to Mr Codling.

The call had been in response to a message left by Mr Codiing on the mobile phone
of the member of staff. The call was returned the same day, a Friday afternoon. As
Mr Codiing nad net answered the call ihe member of staff lefl a voicemail message
asking Mr Cadling to call him back within the next few minutes or the matter would be
dealt with on Monday.

You were concerned that the member of staff had missed the opportunity to reinforce
thal there were other means of heip should Mr Codling require it.

in response to the concerns raised, a new protocal has been developed and
implemented within the CMHTs. The protocal provides guidance to staff in relation to
ihe use of mobile phones in communication with services users. Where a member of
siaff provides a service user with their mobile phone number an explanatory letter is
new pravided. This incluces information om who can be contacted should the call not
be answered, depending on the nature of the call and what assistance is required.

Chair: Maris Gabrie! Chief Execulive: Dr Navina Evans

The Protocol also provides clear guidance to staff when responding to messages
from service users, in the event the service user does not answer the call. The
Proiocol requires staff to leave a message providing relevant information on who to
call in the event they require urgent support (ie Duty Worker, Crisis Team or ARE)
and provide the relevant telephone numbers. This will erisure that in similar
circumstances service users will be clear that there are other options available to
them should their care coordinator not be available.

i hope that the action taken provides you with assurance thal the Trust has taken
appropriate action and that your concern has been adequately addressed.

if you de require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully

Dr Kevin Cleary
Chief Medical Officer

Chain Marie Gabriel Chief Executive: Dr Navina Evans

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