Man whose case prompted ‘neglect’ complaint from judge to leave hospital after more than two years

A man with mental health difficulties whose case made headlines after a judge said his needs had been “neglected” is preparing to leave hospital, health authority bosses say.

Mr Justice Hayden censured the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which is based in Bangor, Gwynedd, in October, and said “so much” had gone wrong.

A lawyer representing the board on Monday told Mr Justice Hayden that plans were in place to move the man, who had been in a hospital setting for more than two years and spent 18 months on a surgical ward, to specialist accommodation.

The judge heard that the man, who is in his 40s, had recently refused to accept food for about 10 days and said he “had had enough”.

Mr Justice Hayden has been considering the man’s case at hearings in the Court of Protection, where issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions are analysed, in London.

He said the man could not be identified in media reports of the case.

The judge, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said in October that the man’s needs had been “substantially unaddressed”, “unacknowledged”, “unidentified” and “neglected”.

He said the board had breached court orders, spoke of “substantial and alarming failures”, and called for a “new beginning”.

The board’s chief executive, Jo Whitehead, had apologised and said improvements had been made.

Barrister Roger Hillman, who represented the board, told that judge on Monday that bosses hoped the man would leave hospital before the end of the month.

He said he hoped there would be no need for further court hearings.

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