‘That’s the only way they’re going to listen’
Errol Graham was found starved to death weighing only five stone in 2018 after his disability benefit was stopped(Image: BBC)
Nottinghamshire’s failing mental health hospitals should face criminal investigation, the relative of a mentally ill man who starved to death has said.
Errol Graham, 57, weighed just four-and-a-half stone when he was found dead by bailiffs who had been sent to evict him from his flat in Radford on June 20, 2018.
Mr Graham had a history of depression, and his GP and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides mental health care in the region, agreed to section him in 2015.
However, a few days later, he was released to his home in Pine View flats, where he died in 2018 after his DWP housing benefit was stopped and he refused help from mental health teams, according to an inquest.
His daughter-in-law Alison Burton, 37, has suggested police should be looking into the NHS trust’s shortcomings and care failures in recent years, following a series of shocking reports which outlined how it had treated and discharged paranoid schizophrenic killer Valdo Calocane.
Calocane stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar in the early hours of June 13, 2023, before also killing grandad Ian Coates and using his van to run down three more people.
A review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates healthcare, said Nottinghamshire Healthcare had made a “series of errors, omissions and misjudgements” in his treatment, including the decision to discharge him back to his GP in September 2022 – which Ms Burton has said echoes the problems in Errol’s care years before.
“Until you start chasing the people in charge and holding them accountable, it won’t change,” Mr Graham’s daughter-in-law said.
“There should have been a lot of criminal charges by now. That’s the only way they’re going to listen,” she explained, adding that despite the number of complaints made by families, “nothing gets fixed”.
“People who allowed that to happen are still living their normal life, that is not justice.
“It’s not justice for the families, at the end of the day, it is the poor decision-making of that hospital that cost the lives of their family members.”
Mr Graham’s family had warned he was not ready to be released, with Ms Burton stating he had been hallucinating demons, but he was discharged and never returned to hospital.
“You need to be absolutely certain [when discharging mentally ill patients].
“Mentally ill people are more than capable of manipulating staff and then falling for it.”
Ms Burton said there needed to be consequences for those in charge of the NHS trust.
“They are not owning accountability, listening to the concerns raised, they are running on their own culture. It’s almost like they are stuck in their ways, and they don’t want to change; to them, it works.
“The NHS needs to cut the head off the snake; they are chasing little problems and putting plasters over them.”
In January, the CQC reported that Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s leadership required improvement, as bosses lacked a strategy to drive forward improvements and had not taken sufficient action to change the NHS trust’s culture.
“They have got a massive responsibility on their shoulders because these people are very ill and they are often not in control,” Ms Burton added.
“Patients and the public rely on them to keep us safe, and they’re failing massively.”
The much-criticised managers at the NHS trust were the source of its problems, Ms Burton claimed.
“When it comes to management, they distance themselves, wash their hands, and let staff take the rap. It needs to fall on the management, because it all starts with them.
“They are why the trust has failed and will continue to fail.”
In response to Ms Burton’s concerns, the trust said it was “absolutely committed” to improving the safety and quality of its services.
A spokesperson for the care provider said it identifies areas for improvement after serious incidents, using a number of cases to inform its ongoing improvement programme.
“This has included the implementation of a new discharge policy,” the representative said.
“We have also reinstated community matrons, employed more clinicians, and ensured that our care groups and units are clinically led.
“A priority area for improvement continues to be listening to and communicating better with families.
“We are making progress, and no trust service is now rated ‘inadequate’ by the CQC.”
Inadequate is the lowest possible rating the CQC can give a provider. Many of the trust’s services are now classed as ‘requires improvement’ – the second lowest rating possible.
“We will continue to build on this work to ensure everyone who uses our services receives the quality and compassionate care they deserve,” the Nottinghamshire Healthcare spokesperson added.
This week, Nottinghamshire Live and the Nottingham Post are highlighting issues with mental health care in the county and calling on those in charge to take action. If you want to share a story of someone you love with mental health issues who has been failed with us, email sam.dimmer@reachplc.com