Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2018

Stephen Jackson

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2018-0416, written 4 Oct 2018. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report4 Oct 2018
Reference2018-0416
DeceasedStephen Jackson
CoronerEmma Brown
Coroner areaBirmingham and Solihull
CategoryMental Health related deaths · Suicide (from 2015)
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses publishednone published

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

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: NHS England and Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning
Group

CORONER

tam Emma Brown, Area Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull

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 23" August 2018 | commenced an investigation into the death of Stephen Peter Jackson and an
inquest is listed to take place on the 4" December 2018.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

Investigations to date have identified that Mr. Jackson sent his mother a text message late evening on
10" August 2018 saying “sorry”. His mother contacted Mr. Jackson’s partner after several attempts to
get hold of him were unsuccessful. His partner attended Mr. Jackson’s home on the 11" August 2018
and found him deceased lying face upwards on the bedroom floor having entered via an unsecured
bedroom window. Drugs paraphernalia was noted at the scene along with a suicide note. The Deceased
had deliberately taken an overdose 3 weeks earlier and been admitted to Good Hope Hospital where he
self-discharged once medically fit without waiting to be seen by the RAID team. Following discharge he
sought a home treatment team input, he was given an outpatient appointment on the 13" August 2018
but the appointment was put back until the 29" November 2018. Evidence to date indicates that he was
very frustrated by this delay and reported to family that he could not cope.

Following a post mortem a provisional cause of death has been given as 1a) Diamorphine overdose but
the final cause of death is awaited pending consideration of toxicology results.

CORONER’S CONCERNS

During the course of the investigation to date the evidence has 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. Onthe 1* August 2018 Mr. Jackson attended his GP and expressed frustration that following his
discharge from hospital on the 23" July 2018. He had not been contacted by the home
treatment team and his GP wrote to the Kingstanding and Erdington Home Treatment Team
that same day asking them to expedite his appointment, reporting that Mr. Jackson continued
to have low mood and negative thoughts and merited an urgent appointment.

2. Mr. Jackson was not seen by mental health clinicians following the GP request.

3. Mr. Jackson wrote a very detailed suicide note within which he refers to feeling unsupported by
professionals who did not send him appointments or answers his calls, the context would
support this being a reference to mental health professionals.

4. Although evidence at inquest has yet to be heard there is a concern that this case, along with
several other cases being investigated by the Birmingham and Solihull Coroners’ jurisdiction,
future deaths may arise due to under-funding of mental health services.

5. The strain on the systems of mental health services provided by both Forward Thinking
Birmingham and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust has become apparent to the
Birmingham and Solihull Coroners in recent months. Consequently this report to prevent future
death is being made in conjunction with reports to prevent future deaths arising from 6 other
investigations into deaths between May and August 2018 that demonstrate a risk that future
deaths will occur as a result of under-funding.

6. In addition to this report letters are enclosed from the Medical Directors of both Trusts setting
out their concerns.

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.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report, namely by 29"
November 2018. |, 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: Mr.
Jackson’s next of kin and the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust. | have also sent it to
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and the Care Quality Commission who may
find it useful or of interest.

| 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.

04/10/2018

Signature alee

Emma Brown Area Coroner Birmingham and Solihull

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