Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2019

Peter Garvin

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2019-0069, written 27 Feb 2019. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report27 Feb 2019
Reference2019-0069
DeceasedPeter Garvin
CoronerFiona Wilcox
Coroner areaLondon Inner (West)
CategoryMental Health related deaths · Suicide (from 2015)
Organisation namedCentral and North West 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.

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:

Ms Claire Murdoch,

Chief Executive Officer,

Central and North West London
NHS Foundation Trust,

Trust Headquarters Executive Office,
350, Euston Road,

London.

NWI1 3JN

Simon Stevens,
Chief Executive,
NHS England,
Skipton House,
80 London Road,
London.

SE1 6LH

1 | CORONER

| am Dr Fiona J Wilcox, HM Senior Coroner, for the Coroner Area of Inner West London

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 the 5"" January 2019, evidence was heard touching the death of Peter George Garvin. Mr Garvin, had
entered the Regent's Canal in Westminster on 31%! January 2018, with the intention of taking his own life. He
was 86 years old at the time of his death. The findings of the court were as follows:

Medical Cause of Death

1 (a) Drowning

How, when and where the deceased came by her death:

Mr Garvin was suffering with a second episode of treatment resistant depression. He had previously
attempted to take his own life in October 2017. At or around 10:35 on 31 January 2018 he entered the
Regent's Canal in Westminster with the intention of taking his own life. There was no third party involvement.
He was recovered and recognised as life extinct at 12:27.

Conclusion of the Coroner as to the death:

Mr Garvin took his own life whilst suffering with depressive illness.

Circumstances of the death.

At the time of his death Mr Garvin was under the care of the Community Mental Health Team, however his
medication was being prescribed by his GP. There were intermittent communication problems between the
CMHT and the GP re his prescribing.

In October 2017 he had required admission but due the lack of local beds he had been hospitalised in Milton
Keynes.

Mr Garvin's illness placed a lot of strain on his elderly wife, but she was not offered a carer's assessment
prior to his death.

His illness was treatment resistant, and he asked for private psychiatric assessment in a search of a cure.
He saw a private psychiatrist on 19th January 2018.

When the CMHT became aware that he had sought private treatment he was informed that he would be
discharged from the CMHT. He was informed of this by his CPN at a home visit of 29"" January 2018. This
had a significant adverse effect on his mood. Just two days later, he took his own life.

It is the policy of Mr Garvin’s consultant to discharge patients from NHS care if they are taken for private
treatment, apparently due to concern over potential communication difficulties.

The private psychiatrist stated in evidence that she could only have seen Mr Garvin intermittently in out
patients which in her view he was too ill for, or admit him to hospital. This would have deprived Mr Garvin of
the option of being cared for at home in the community.

Concerns of the Coroner:
1. That there should be a system of doctor to doctor communication to facilitate prescribing, for
example through direct email contact.

2. That there should be sufficient local beds so that such a vulnerable person should not have to be
hospitalised so very far from home.

3. That if patients seek private psychiatric care they should not be discharged by the NHS. Instead a
memorandum of understanding should be agreed between the NHS and Private psychiatric
consultants to allow joint working and facilitate patient care. This should surely be possible along the
lines of such agreements with GPs.

4. That carer's assessment should be undertaken early in the patient treatment pathway.

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you [AND/OR your organisation]
have the power to take such action. It is for each addressee to respond to matters relevant to them.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report. |, 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 :

—_ tant We chick

Community Mental Health Team,
190, Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London.

SW1V 1DX

Nightingale Hospital,
11-19 Lisson Grove,
Marylebone,
London.

NW1 6SH

General Practitioner,

St Johns Wood Medical Practice,
Brampton House,

Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth,
60, Grove End Road,

London.

NWé8 9NH

| 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" February 2019

Professor Fiona J Wilcox

HM Senior Coroner Inner West London
Westminster Coroner’s Court

65, Horseferry Road

London

SW1P 2ED

Honorary Professor QMUL School of Medicine and Dentistry

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 Cnwl NHS Trust (PDF)
7

INHS

Central and
North West London

NHS Foundation Trust

6 May 2019

Professor Fiona J Wilcox

HM Senior Coroner Inner West London
Westminster Coroner Court

65 Horseferry Road

London SW1P 2ED

Dear Professor Wilcox,

Re: Regulation 28 Report Following the Inquest into the Death of Peter George
Garvin

Further to your letter dated 24 April 2019, | am sorry that this response has taken
some time but we were keen to ensure that we fully addressed your concerns.

Because of the Trust’s location and geography we can potentially be working with
any number of private psychiatrists which would make it impossible to have a
standard MOU agreed by all of them in advance. As an alternative, we have drawn
up a protocol for our own staff, which sets out (a) how they should work with
colleagues working in any private sector organisation and (b) how they should
explain the process to their patients. This draws heavily on national guidance.

| hope this addresses the concern that you raised. | know that you will be meeting
with our Medical Director soon and | hope this will provide an opportunity to discuss
any remaining issues on concerns that you may have.

Yours sincerely,

e
Claire Murdoch pr C _
Chief Executive tl” YP ee
ian 4

Trust Headquarters, 350 Euston Road , London NW1 3AX
Telephone: 020 3214 5700
www.cnwi.nhs.uk
La-44 Pe lA/
hop SP ¢g \
Ppp

naa Wellbeing for life

eMPOWERMENT PARTNERSHIP London | Milton Keynes | Kent | Surrey | Hampshire

INHS|

Central and
North West London

NHS Foundation Trust
Guidance for staff when a patient wishes

to seek advice or treatment from a private clinician

Core principles

1.

Process

The Department of Health has issued guidance (ref below) clarifying that if a patient opts for
private care their entitlement to NHS care remains and should not be withdrawn.

The guidance also makes clear that there must be as clear a separation as possible between
a patient’s private treatment and their NHS treatment.

Patients can choose to return to NHS care at any point and are entitled to NHS services on
exactly the same basis of clinical need as any other patient.

When advising patients or patients’ representatives on additional private care, doctors
should respect the patient's right to seek a second opinion, as set out in the GMC’s Good
Medical Practice guidance (2006).

Effective communication about treatment options should be maintained at all times.

Any situations where patients receive additional private care alongside NHS care should be
handled with the highest standards of professional practice and clinical governance.

When a patient requests private care the treating NHS clinician should discuss with the
patient the options open to them including informing them of the risks and benefits of their
requested course of action.

If the treating clinician is concerned that there is a risk to patient safety and conflicting care
approaches by having two simultaneous providers this should be explained to the patient
and plans put in place to ensure safe handover of care.

Transferring between NHS and private care should be carried out in a way which avoids
putting patients at any unnecessary risk. The NHS and the private provider should work
collaboratively to put in place protocols to ensure effective risk management, timely sharing
of information, continuity of care and coordination between NHS and private care at all
times

The patient should be made aware that they are able to return to our care at any point if
they choose to do so and be made aware of how they would do this.

An NHS guide for patients can be accessed on this link:
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/if-i-pay-for-
private-treatment-how-will-my-nhs-care-be-affected/#

Department of Health (2009) Guidance on NHS Patients who wish to pay for additional private care. Gateway Reference 11512, 23 March

2009.

Trust Headquarters, 350 Euston Road , London NW1 3AX
Telephone: 020 3214 5700
www.cnwl.nhs.uk

e?%e

“8 Wellbeing for life

EMPOWERMENT PARTNERSHIP London | Milton Keynes | Kent | Surrey | Hampshire

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