Adverse Incidents

Patients Deaths

All deaths reported on Datix as adverse incidents.

The rise in figures has occurred because of a change in culture in the reporting of deaths in care since the investigation into Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. This has resulted in Mersey Care adopting several changes to our practice to focus on increasing reporting and enhancing how we learn from each death.

The number of these deaths that were classified as unexpected

The Trust does not use the phrase “unexpected,” instead we use “deaths that need investigating.”

Please note that due to a change in policy we investigate all learning disability deaths, which has contributed to the rise in figures for 2016/17.

Total number of deaths that have been referred to the Coroner by the Trust in each of the last five years

Note we do not refer deaths to the coroner. This is done by the doctor who writes the death certificate:

Of these, the number of deaths of patients with a learning disability referred to the Coroner

Deaths of Patients with a Learning Disability

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST AND RESPONSE REF:  MCT/FOI/2019/4891

Further to your Freedom of Information request in respect of deaths of patients with a learning disability, please find a response from the Trust below.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust provides treatment for adults with a learning disability or other developmental disorder. Our forensic services support people with significant and complex needs and cannot be cared for in the community. Most come to us after contact with the legal system.

Our services are designed to ensure that, where possible, the service user can move back into the community at the right time and that they can benefit from a better quality of life. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust serves more than 11 million people, offering specialist inpatient and community services that support mental health, learning disabilities, addictions, brain injuries and physical health, and we are one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

Please note that the information provided is for inpatients with a learning disability with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

1. The number of deaths of patients with a learning disability that occurred in the last three years (by financial year eg 1/4/16 - 31/3/17, 1/4/17 - 31/3/18, 1/4/18 to present).

2.The number of deaths of patients with a learning disability reported as an incident on the Strategic Executive Information System (STEIS) in the last three years (defined as above)

3.The number of deaths of patients with a learning disability reported as an incident on the National Reporting and Learning System (NLRS) in the last three years (defined as above)

Legal Costs

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST AND RESPONSE REF:  MCT/FOI/2019/5092

Further to your Freedom of Information request in respect of legal costs of inquests, please find a response from the Trust below.

1. During the calendar year 2018 what was the total spend for your mental health trust on legal representation for Article 2 inquests into the following types of death only:a.    the unnatural, self-inflicted or violent death of anyone detained  or de-facto detained in health in-patient settings.

£99,505.05

b.   the self-inflicted death of a child placed by CAMHS in a privately- run mental health hospital;

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust does not provide a CAMHS service.  Alder Hey Children’s Hospital is the local Trust that is funded  to provide a CAMHS service and you can request the information from  info.gov@alderhey.nhs.uk

c.    a detained patient who dies following discharge in circumstances  where inadequate support and community-based arrangements  have been put into place

£0

2. During the calendar year 2018 what was the total spend for your mental health trust on all legal representation where your trust was legally represented as an interested person at an inquest?

£139,768.08

Families are more aware of their entitlement to have their questions answered therefore more inquests are being held than in previous years so the trust has seen an increase in costs.