NHS belief pleads responsible after teenage woman absconded from 24-hour care and killed herself | NHS

An NHS belief has pleaded responsible to failures over the avoidable dying of a teenage woman who killed herself after absconding from 24-hour supervision underneath its care.

Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, who suffered with extreme psychological well being issues, died on 20 March 2022, minutes after leaving the Bluefin acute kids’s ward in Worthing hospital, a part of College hospitals Sussex NHS belief (UHSussex).

The supervising company nurse watched Ellame go away the ward, however didn’t observe her as a result of she mentioned she had been instructed to not go away the ward if a affected person absconded, Brighton magistrates court docket was informed.

On Monday the belief pleaded responsible to a failure to offer protected care and therapy leading to avoidable hurt. In mitigation it mentioned the acute ward was not outfitted to take care of susceptible psychological well being sufferers, however the belief had accepted Ellame due to a “rising disaster nationally” over the scarcity of psychological well being beds for kids and adolescents.

The prosecution was introduced by the hospital regulator, the Care High quality Fee. Its barrister, James Marsland, mentioned the belief had uncovered Ellame “to a threat of great avoidable hurt”.

He mentioned its coverage on lacking sufferers “didn’t present any significant steerage on what to do when a susceptible affected person is seen to be absconding”. He added the police created confusion amongst employees and famous that the nurse caring for Ellame was “underneath the impression she shouldn’t observe her”.

Marsland mentioned Ellame had a posh prognosis and was vulnerable to self-harm and absconding. She tried to abscond from the hospital a number of instances within the weeks earlier than her dying, Marsland informed the court docket.

In a sufferer influence assertion, Ellame’s mom, Nancy Ford-Dunn, mentioned: “Ellame deserved to be stored protected and get effectively and have a satisfying life. Her future has been ripped from her and from us.”

Eleanor Sanderson, the counsel for UHSussex, mentioned: “The belief accepts the core failing was the 2019 lacking affected person coverage. It wasn’t clear about what to do when a affected person absconds.”

She mentioned the coverage ought to have been up to date to replicate the fact {that a} rising variety of psychological well being sufferers had been being cared for on acute kids’s ward because of a nationwide scarcity of psychological well being beds.

Sanderson mentioned: “The choice to confess Ellame to the Bluefin ward positioned the belief in an invidious place. It didn’t have the sources or talent to take care of her however the various was a refusal to confess.”

Individually, the belief is underneath police investigation for doable particular person and company manslaughter over greater than 90 deaths involving alleged negligence and canopy up normally surgical procedure and neurosurgery. It’s also one in all 14 trusts topic to a nationwide inquiry introduced final month, into failures in maternity companies.

An inquest into Ellame’s dying opened final 12 months. It was adjourned pending the end result of the prosecution.

Ellame’s mom, who’s supported by the charity Inquest, informed the court docket: “The authorized course of is taking so very very lengthy. We nonetheless await the inquest. It delays the grieving course of and retains us trapped within the particulars. We’re surviving not dwelling.”

She added: “There’s an Ellame formed gap in our lives and that absence screams every single day.” Ellame had been identified with dyslexia, autism and a spotlight deficit hyperactivity dysfunction, and located secondary faculty difficult, the court docket heard. Her mom mentioned she beloved dancing together with her youthful sister and sea swimming her her youthful brother.

“Ellame was a folks pleaser who at all times cared extra about different folks’s emotions than her personal,” she mentioned.

UHSussex can be sentenced on 26 November over Ellame’s dying. It’s anticipated to be issued a considerable tremendous.