A Coroner investigating the circumstances leading up to the death of a 17-year-old girl who was a patient at a mental health hospital says staff have “limited concern about the number of ligature incidents” on its ward and appear to have accepted them “as normal behaviour.”
Abigail Combes, coroner for South Yorkshire has ordered Cygnet Health Care to take action in a Report to Prevent Future Deaths which was prompted following an inquest into the death of Chelsea Blue Mooney.
In her Report to Prevent Future Deaths the Coroner says the Cygnet Hospital in Sheffield “downgraded” the seriousness of the persistent use of ligatures as an act of self-harm by its patients.
The inquest jury concluded Chelsea’s death was partly due to “insufficient care, and delays in the emergency response.”
Iftikhar Manzoor, litigation executive in Civil Liberties at Hudgell Solicitors who represents the family, said the Report to Prevent Future Deaths was damning.
Read the full client story: Coroner says mental health hospital has ‘limited concern’ of vulnerable young patients using ligatures to self-harm following death of 17-year-old girl