NHS trust ‘fully accepts’ watchdog recommendations after Nottingham killer care

By Sophie Robinson, Reporter26th September 2024News EnglandCare Quality Commission, Care Standards, Inspection, News England, NHS, Nottinghamshire

The chief executive of a trust involved in the care of a paranoid schizophrenic who killed three people in Nottingham says he “fully accepts” recommendations from the health watchdog.

Mental health services provided at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust came under scrutiny in a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released in August, which said the killer’s risk was “not managed well”.

Valdo Calocane (pictured), who killed Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates on June 13 last year, was under the care of the trust between May 2020 and September 2022.

Chief executive of the trust, Ifti Majid, said on Thursday at the trust’s public board of directors meeting at Highbury Hospital, Nottinghamshire, that he “understands” where it “missed opportunities” in the areas outlined in the report.

The CQC highlighted that concerns raised by Calocane’s family were “not consistently acted on” by the trust and risk assessments did not “not make explicit the serious nature” of the risk Calocane posed.

It also found that the decision to discharge Calocane to his GP “did not adequately consider” his risk of relapse.

Mr Majid said: “As an organisation we fully accept those areas where we missed opportunities.

“We’ve accepted all the recommendations, and we have moved those recommendations into the integrated improvement plan already.”

The watchdog has suggested that the trust should regularly review treatment plans for paranoid schizophrenics, ensure staff engage with patients’ families, have a robust discharge policy, and have clinical supervisions of decisions to detain people under the Mental Health Act.

In the board meeting documents shared publicly, Mr Majid wrote: “It goes without saying that I have offered my sincere apologies to the families of Grace, Ian and Barnaby who lost their lives; and to Wayne, Sharon and Marcion who were seriously injured, for any missed opportunities in our care, treatment, and interactions with Valdo Calocane.

“What happened to them should not be experienced by any family. I am committed to do everything in my power to prevent such a tragic event reocurring, and I absolutely recognise the obvious pain and suffering they continue to endure.

“I acknowledge that we have not got every decision right, but we aim to be a learning organisation that benefits from feedback and challenges.

“As we formally accept these recommendations and the findings in public today, foremost in our minds must be the people who lost loved ones, and whose lives changed permanently following the catastrophic events of June last year.”

Mr Majid said that the trust has already “significantly improved” processes and has moved the recommendations by the CQC into its integrated improvement plan.