A hospital worker allegedly caused the death of a 22-year-old mental health patient after she gained access to materials that she had used in earlier suicide attempts, a court has heard.
Alice Figueiredo died at Goodmayes Hospital, a mental health facility in Redbridge, north-east London, on July 7 2015.
It is alleged that she had access to plastic material from the communal toilet in the Hepworth Ward that had been used in at least 13 earlier suicide attempts.
Ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa faces trial at the Old Bailey charged with her manslaughter by gross negligence and failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of patients on the ward, which he denies.
It is also claimed the defendant failed to remove items from the ward capable of use for self-harm and that he failed to ensure incidents of self-harm were recorded, considered and addressed.
Aninakwa, of St Francis Way, Grays, was ward manager of Hepworth Ward at Goodmayes Hospital at the time of the alleged offences.
The 53-year-old faces trial alongside representatives of North East London NHS Foundation Trust, which denies corporate manslaughter and an offence of failing to ensure the health and safety of non-employees.
It is alleged the Trust failed to provide satisfactory medical and mental health care and take reasonable steps to protect Ms Figueiredo from preventable self-harm.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said: “During her admission to the hospital in 2015, Alice was repeatedly able to attempt self-harm when she was subject to close observation from staff, but the incidents were not properly recorded, the records that were made were not properly assessed, and the implications of her repeated use of ... to harm herself, and her continued access to such ..., were neither considered nor addressed.”
The jury heard Ms Figueiredo was a “bright and gifted” woman who had been head girl at school and who had set up a mentoring system to support her peers.
Her family described her as someone loved for her “warmth, kindness and joyful character”, the court was told.
She was first admitted to the Hepworth Ward in May 2012 with a diagnosis including non-specific eating disorder and bipolar affective disorder, jurors heard.
Aninakwa was placed on a performance improvement plan in 2011 over his issues with communication, leadership, management skills, clinical effectiveness and efficiency skills, and remained on the improvement plan until December 2014 when he met all his targets, the prosecution said.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Other sources of support are listed on the NHS "help for suicidal thoughts" webpage. Support is available around the clock, every day of the year.
