Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Friday 2nd August 2019

The Government sincerely regrets Matthew’s death. NHS Improvement will review the care that he and others received and will provide advice in due course on whether a public inquiry should be held.

The Government apologises for the quality of care that Matthew and others have received. We are committed to improving the quality of care in mental health wards for anyone with a mental health issue, learning disability or autism. We know the problems that exist in the system and we are working to address them.

On 12 June 2019, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), published its report, Missed opportunities: What lessons can be learned from failings at the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, which called for a national review of potential failings to ensure patient safety at the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. This report considered the care provided to Matthew Leahy. The report can be access here: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-06/Missed_opportunities_What_lessons_can_be_learned_from_failings_at_the_North_Essex_Partnership_University_NHS_Foundation.pdf

In line with the PHSO’s recommendations, NHS Improvement has agreed to conduct a review of the cases detailed in the report once the Health and Safety Executive’s investigation and any related activity has been completed. NHS Improvement will make recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Care once its review has been completed, including on whether a public inquiry is necessary. The review will also ensure that the learning from these tragic incidents is shared with mental health providers across the country.

The Trust has also recently undergone a Care Quality Commission inspection and NHS Improvement await the feedback from that.

NHS Improvement is leading work to develop a new national patient safety strategy to support the NHS to be the safest healthcare system in the world, this and this includes mental health.

We are introducing a new Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme to address important safety challenges in the mental health sector as well as implementing our ambition for eliminating suicides in mental health inpatient services. Every NHS mental health provider is required to have a zero suicide policy in place. There has been significant progress made by trusts in developing these plans, with regional suicide prevention leads supporting trusts to finalise them.

Cases like Matthew’s have called into question whether these types of institutions and in-patient settings are appropriate places in which to care for vulnerable people for any extended length of time. We are committed to improving the quality of care in mental health wards for anyone with a mental health issue, learning disability or autism. We know the problems that exist in the system and we are working hard to address them.

Department of Health and Social Care.

Parliamentary Debate

This petition has reached the threshold for a Parliamentary debate, but the debate has not yet been scheduled.