A PUBLIC inquiry should be held into a North-East mental health trust, according to families and campaigners who believe it needs to answer for as many as 20 patient deaths.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is already subject to a series of independent investigations commissioned by NHS England.

They will look into failings at West Lane Hospital, in Middlesbrough, and the deaths of 17-year-old patients Christie Harnett and Nadia Sharif in 2019 and Emily Moore, 18, who died at Lanchester Road Hospital, near Durham, last February.

The West Lane mental health facility for children and adolescents was shut down by the Care Quality Commission in August 2019, after inspectors rated it ‘inadequate’, but is due to partially reopen under new management in April.

But calls for the government to hold a public inquiry into allegations of ‘systemic and systematic’ failings at the Trust are growing.

The Northern Echo:

Solicitor Alistair Smith, of Watson Woodhouse Solicitors in Middlesbrough, represents a number of bereaved families, including the three teenagers'.

He said: “The numbers are too high to be ignored and I am publicly calling for a public inquiry.

“It is not just those who have died, or mothers and fathers, but children, siblings, cousins, grandparents who all deserve answers.

“The families I act for, and cases I have information on, cover 20 plus deaths in three years– that is inpatients, those having treatment in the community and those not having treatment but who should have been.

“To my knowledge, that is more than any other Trust, save possibly Essex which is under intense scrutiny. This is just awful.”

Inquest, a charity which supports bereaved families whose relatives have died in mental health care settings, said it is aware of 14 people who died between 2016 and 2020 whilst under the care of the Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

Deborah Coles, executive director, said: “These are alarming figures. One death is one death too many but to see a pattern of repeated deaths, many of which raise serious questions about failures to provide safe care is a matter of great public concern.”

The Northern Echo:

Emily’s father, David Moore, of Shildon, said: “One death is too many but the number of patient deaths we are hearing of doesn’t surprise me.

“I understand they are looking after patients whose minds may be set on not being here, but they are not all being looked after well enough and kept safe.

“We have independent investigations ongoing but need a public inquiry to look at the Trust, to have a better look at it and give us more confidence in bringing about the change that is needed.”

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald agreed a public inquiry may be needed, if the ongoing investigations fail to provide the answers and change needed.

“If the ongoing enquiries don’t satisfy the legitimate concerns raised, given the numbers, the call for a public inquiry will be irresistible.”

He said: “I’m keen to make sure that the investigations currently underway apply their minds to the allegations of systematic and systemic failures.

“I’m very concerned about the increasing number of cases and know that behind every number is a family tragedy.

“We know there have been 14 deaths across the Trust in two years, as we learn more it appears that number is increasing and I am going through parliamentary processes available to me to get to the bottom of these latest figures.

“The Trust has said it is not an outlier but we need to know about each and every one of those cases.

“Nobody is suggesting you can avoid deaths totally, but we cannot ignore what appears to be a very high number.

“We are talking about people who died at their own hands but presented great signs of risk, we need to understand more fully the risk assessments, monitoring and care plans.

“I know the staff at West Lane are distraught, it is not what they go to work to do and many families will be forever in their debt for their care.

“But it seems something has gone terribly wrong and we have got to learn lessons.

“If the ongoing enquiries don’t satisfy the legitimate concerns raised, given the numbers, the call for a public inquiry will be irresistible.”

But Mr Smith said now is the time to call for a thorough investigation of the Trust, with a mental health crisis looming because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Smith said: “There are many brilliant people in this Trust but we need it to be operating at the highest possible levels because so many people are going to need it to be effective, the mental health situation is going to be so much worse after Covid.”

Brent Kilmurray, chief executive at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: “My heart goes out to the families and friends of Emily. Having met with them, I know the pain that they, and others, have endured. Every single death is a tragedy and I’m determined to improve our service to the community.

“We have listened and identified the need for us to make improvements – and this includes our culture and behaviour. A better experience for those using our services is my top priority.

“We fully accept the need for accountability and we are strongly regulated by organisations with wide-ranging powers such as the Care Quality Commission.

“I’ve had open discussions with Mr Moore and listened to his concerns. We are awaiting the outcome of the independent investigation into the tragic death of Emily and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment while this is ongoing.”

The Trust said key changes already put in place include making individual care plans available to be viewed by patients and their families or carers; improved risk assessment delivery for patients; it is piloting monitoring “early warning” technology for patients at highest risk and it has prioritised better communications with patients and their families.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Every suicide is a tragedy and our heartfelt condolences go out to families, friends and loved ones.

“It is vitally important that we collectively learn from these devastating events to improve care and to provide better protection for patients in the future.

“Independent investigations are currently ongoing into the unexpected deaths of these patients and we are not able to comment further at this stage.”