Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2020

Shaun Turner

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2020-0050, written 3 Mar 2020. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report3 Mar 2020
Reference2020-0050
DeceasedShaun Turner
CoronerAlison Mutch
Coroner areaManchester South
CategoryAlcohol, drug and medication related deaths · Mental Health related deaths · Suicide (from 2015)
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: Secretary of State for Health
CORONER

lam Alison Mutch , Senior Coroner, for the Coroner Area of Greater Manchester
South

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 2274 July 2019, | commenced an investigation into the death of Shaun Lea
Tumer. The investigation concluded on the 31% January 2020 and the
conclusion was one of Suicide. The medical cause of death was 1a) Drug
toxicity on a background of bronchopneumonia

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

On 20th July Shaun Lea Tumer was found unresponsive at his home address
a Dukinfield. Police investigations found there were no suspicious
circumstances or evidence of 3rd party involvement. A number of notes
addressed to family members were recovered. Toxicology showed that he had
ingested a fatal amount of codeine.

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. —

During the course of the inquest, evidence was given by Mr Turner's family that
whilst they accepted that there had been attempted contact of him by mental
health services he was worried about how long it would take him to be able to
access appropriate mental health services and receive support. He was aware
through previous contact with Mental Health services that there could be delays
and when he missed a call from them, the impact of that in relation to accessing
mental health services preyed on his mind.

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 28" April 2020. |, 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 namely EE wife of the deceased, 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.

Alison Mutch OBE
HM Senior Coroner
03.03.2020

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 The Department of Health and Social Care 1 (PDF)
From Nadine Dorries MP 
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Patient Safety, 
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health 

39 Victoria Street 
London 
SW1H 0EU 

020 7210 4850 

16th April 2020 

Your Reference: 313362 
Our Reference: PFD-1207916 

Ms Alison Patricia Mutch 
HM Senior Coroner, Manchester South 
HM Coroner's Court 
1 Mount Tabor Street 
Stockport SK1 3AG 

Dear Ms Mutch 

Thank you for your correspondence of 3 March 2020 to Matt Hancock about the tragic 
death of Shaun Turner.  

I would like to begin by saying how sorry I was to read of the circumstances of Mr Turner’s 
death and I offer my deepest sympathies to his family and those who loved him.  I can 
appreciate how distressing his lost must be.   

Your report raises important concerns about access to mental health services and I would 
like to provide assurance that the Government and the NHS are taking steps to ensure 
that no one faces a long wait to access mental health support. 

We have introduced the first ever access and waiting time standards for mental health 
services, including standards for early intervention for people experiencing a first episode 
of psychosis and accessing psychological and talking therapies. These are being met or 
are on track for delivery.  In addition, the NHS has committed to testing and rolling out 
comprehensive waiting time standards for adults and children over the next decade.  

We are expanding access to talking and psychological therapies and improving quality 
through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme1.  Already, 
over 1 million people a year are starting treatment and we are aiming to increase access to 
psychological therapies for an additional 600,000 people with common mental health 
problems each year by 2020/21.  The NHS Long Term Plan2 commits to ensuring that an 
additional 380,000 adults and older adults will be able to access NICE3-approved IAPT 
services by 2023/24. 

1 https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/ 
2 https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/areas-of-work/mental-health/ 
3 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 In December 2019, 98.4 per cent of people who completed a course of IAPT treatment 
waited less than 18 weeks to start treatment and 88.6 per cent waited less than six 
weeks4.   

The NHS Long Term Plan also commits to specific waiting times targets for emergency 
mental health services which will take effect for the first time from 2020/21 onwards and 
will align with the equivalent targets for emergency physical health services. 

We recognise the need for people experiencing a mental health crisis to get the care that 
they need quickly.  Every local health service has now signed up to having a round the 
clock community mental health crisis service by 2021, with people whose needs might be 
escalating to crisis point able to self-refer in the same way they can for urgent physical 
health care.  More than £200million of national funding has been allocated to local areas to 
transform urgent and emergency mental health care and provide new, alternative forms of 
provision, such as safe havens and crisis cafes.  An additional £140million will bolster 
these services further from 2021 onwards. 

We know that every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on 
families and communities.  In January 2019, we published the first Cross-Government 
Suicide Prevention Workplan5, which sets out an ambitious programme across national 
and local government and the NHS.  It will see every local authority, mental health trust 
and prison in the country implementing suicide prevention policies.   

Finally, we are investing £57million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term 
Plan.  All areas of the country will see investment by 2023/24 to support local suicide 
prevention plans and establish bereavement support services.   

I hope this response is helpful.  Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention.  

NADINE DORRIES 

4 https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/psychological-therapies-report-on-the-use-of-iapt-
services/december-2019-final-including-reports-on-the-iapt-pilots-and-quarter-3-2019-20-data 
5 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-cross-government-plan

Related reports

Other reports by Alison Mutch

See all →

More reports categorised “Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths”

See all →

Track Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths

See every Prevention of Future Deaths report matching Alcohol, drug and medication related deaths, and how often a new one appears.

What would an alert for this have sent me? Search the full text

Free to try — the preview shows the real matches and how many arrived in the last 12 months. Your first email alert is free.

These reports are published by the Chief Coroner's office at judiciary.uk and are © Crown copyright. The text here is reproduced from the published PDF so it can be searched. If something on this page is wrong, or you are a person named in it and want it reviewed, email drcjar@gmail.com and we will act promptly.