Police search for missing mental health patient was ‘frustrated’ by receptionist, inquest told
Police officers answering a 999 call from a mental health hospital to help find a vulnerable patient who had absconded and later died were left “frustrated” when a receptionist there insisted they fill out visitor paperwork.
The two West Midlands Police response officers, who turned up in uniform at Birmingham’s Priory Hospital Woodbourne (pictured), were also told to sign to state they had read its Covid policy despite the “time-critical” nature of their visit, an inquest was told.
The officers had been called to the hospital after a senior nurse reported 23-year-old personal trainer Matthew Caseby had jumped a fence and absconded on September 7, 2020.
He was hit by a train the following day.
Louise Hunt, senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, heard the 999 call about the then missing Mr Caseby was passed to response officer Pc Andrew Freeman, and his colleague Pc Wayne Thomas at about 5.28pm.
It was classed as a Grade 1 missing persons call Mr Freeman said, which was the force’s “most heightened risk”.
When the officers arrived at the large hospital site, they did not know exactly which ward Mr Caseby had absconded from, so they went to main reception.
“I initially got held up there a little bit, to my frustration,” said Mr Freeman.
“The receptionist – she was not willing to give us the information I wanted straight away because (of) some kind of Priory policy whereby we had to, first of all, fill in a small amount of paperwork which was then placed into lanyards, showing us as visitors.
“Secondly, at the time we were in the height of Covid – she wanted us to read a document, and then we had to sign to say that we had read a document before… she would tell us which ward to go to.
“I did voice my frustrations with the receptionist to make her aware this is an immediate response, we need to get this information as quickly as possible.
“I saw it as time-critical.
“However those few minutes could have been the difference of being in the right place at the right time later on, when we were searching roads.
“I was just very frustrated at the time.
“We were called by one person at the Priory to say this is (a) very immediate concern, we need to get out and start trying to find Matthew straight away.
“However, on the other side of the coin when we got there, we were held up for three to five minutes, filling in paperwork so we could wear a visitors pass – which I found highly inappropriate.”
Having eventually gained access to the right ward, staff there were unable to give police basic patient information.
“I found myself being quite frustrated again,” said Mr Freeman.
“All the very basic questions that we had at that stage pretty much were answered ‘we haven’t got that information’.”
Asked what information they gave about Mr Caseby’s risk of harm, he said “We were told he had denied any self-harm or suicidal tendencies.”
While there, staff described how the patient had presented as showing some signs of paranoia.
“He thought that the staff may have been tampering with his food,” added Mr Freeman.
When police searched his room in the ward, they found notes including “bits of tissue” with the words “pressured” and “overwhelmed” on them.
However, the officer said “mixed in” among those writings, were notes on “fitness ideas”, and “a business plan”.
Mr Freeman also said he was never told by Priory staff about how Mr Caseby was previously found by police on a railway line in Oxfordshire, and detained for his own safety.
The officer only discovered that fact after reading a patient risk assessment form from Warneford Hospital, Oxford, in his police car.
Mr Freeman said: “Immediately you are thinking ‘what is somebody doing on railway lines’, adding it “rings alarm bells massively”.
“Most of the time when people are on railway lines it’s unfortunately because they’re having thoughts to do something,” he added.
The officer “updated the log” to “immediately” alert British Transport Police colleagues to be on the alert for Mr Caseby.
The officers searched, made contact with Mr Caseby’s family, and traced likely locations the former University of Birmingham student may have visited but were unable to find him by the time their shift ended in the early hours.
The graduate’s father, Richard, 61, previously told the inquest that health authorities had a basic legal duty to keep his son safe and secure.
The inquest continues.
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