A hospital patient living with schizophrenia and psychosis was not given his dosage of anti-psychotic medication days before his body was found in a wooded area, an inquest has heard.

Ty Channce, 20, was a resident at Roseberry Park Hospital from 2018 after he was detained under the Mental Health Act following an attack on a family member until his death on April 28, 2021.

The inquest heard on Tuesday (February 13) that Mr Channce, of Middlesbrough, was allowed unescorted leave off the premises on the day of his death as part of his “discharge pathway”.

The Northern Echo: Ty Channce and his mum, Cheryl Allan.Ty Channce and his mum, Cheryl Allan. (Image: CHANNCE FAMILY)

Mr Channce was last seen by staff of the hospital, run by Tees, Esk & Wear Valley Trust (TEWV) at 3:30pm on April 28 who concluded he was “no risk to himself or others”, noting that he was “excited” for leave.

His family previously told the court they believed he was “not ready” for the leave and were not told it would be taking place.

Mr Channce’s body was then found by a member of the public in a wooded area in Nunthorpe after 6pm.

The inquest today (February 14) heard from Nurse Michaela Mangan who was a clinical lead on the Nightingale Ward at Roseberry Park where Mr Channce was housed and was in charge of the ward on the day of his passing.

In a statement read to the inquest, Ms Mangan noted that in the months leading up to his death, Mr Channce was “settled on the ward” and there were “no concerns regarding his presentation”.

Ms Mangan noted that in March 2021 Mr Channce made references to future planning, expressing interest in a wind turbine course as there appeared to be “plans for discharge in the near future”.

Days before his passing, on April 21, Ms Mangan said Mr Channce seemed “happy” about unescorted leave and his mental health had been “stable”.

The inquest has previously heard of Mr Channce’s manner and the fact he spent much of his time in his room, which was a concern for the family.

Ms Mangan agreed with previous statements about this behaviour and said Mr Channce “kept himself to himself” most of the time but said he did spend time in communal areas playing video games with peers and staff.

On the day of his passing, the inquest heard from Ms Mangan that Mr Channce was “facially bright” and spent time in a communal area at 9.30am playing a video game. He was “laughing”, “jovial” and “engaging in conversation”.

She then went on to explain that Mr Channce asked to take out £60 for his unescorted leave, stating the money was to be used at a café in Stuart Park, where he was scheduled to take his leave.

Ms Mangan explained that Mr Channce had “no restrictions” on money.

The inquest first heard yesterday about issues involving Mr Channce’s medication, after 15 tablets, which he was trusted to take without supervision, were found in the safe in his room.

It was said that Mr Channce was given eight tablets at a time, which were to be taken twice a day for four days.

Prescription records presented revealed that Mr Channce was not given his medication on April 24 just four days before he passed away.

The Northern Echo: Teesside Magistrates Court.Teesside Magistrates Court. (Image: Chris Booth)

Further documentation presented by barrister for the Channce family, Lily Lewis, today told the inquest that there were other instances from December 2020 onwards where Mr Channce did not receive his medication.

Calculations concluded that Mr Channce should have received 286 anti-psychotic tablets over a 143 day period – but it was found that he received 232, enough for 116 days.

Ms Lewis questioned Ms Mangan, stating that this is a “very significant amount of time of missed medication”.

Ms Lewis then asked Ms Mangan if Mr Channce’s non-compliance in medication could have increased his risk for suicide.


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Ms Mangan said: “Based on non-compliance, yes.”

The inquest was yesterday (February 13) told that an investigation by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Trust (TEWV) found that scheduled “spot-checks” on Mr Channce to check he was taking his medication did not take place.

This was said to be due to a “miscommunication” between pharmacy staff and nurses as to who was responsible for this.

The inquest continues.