Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) has been fined £80,000 after a patient sustained serious injuries in a fall from the roof of a ward in January 2016. The patient had spent 11 hours on the roof, refusing to come down. He broke his leg and fractured his skull and jaw.
The Trust had been warned of the potential danger back in 2011, but in bringing the case the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had failed to act. In May the Trust had pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to provide safe care resulting in avoidable harm to one patient and putting others at risk of serious harm. The fine was issued yesterday (August 20) at Taunton Magistrates’ Court.
According to the CQC the incident was part of a wider failure at the Trust to deal with concerns over safety. The BBC quotes Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Dr Paul Lelliot, as saying: “The Trust had failed to make basic improvements to protect the people in its care, despite having been aware of the dangers for years.”
He adds: “I hope this case will serve as a warning to any other providers.”
Also quoted by the BBC, a spokesperson from AWP said the Trust is planning care and managing risk of harm on a patient-by-patient basis, adding: “We are continuing to work with NHS England to ensure that funding is made available for further improvement works needed.”
