Redbridge: Hospital worker accused of causing patient death

Hospital worker accused of causing patient death 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 7 July 2015.

Benjamin Aninakwa, 53, who denies the charges against him, was ward manager of Hepworth Ward at Goodmayes Hospital at the time of the alleged offences.

He faces trial at the Old Bailey alongside North East London NHS Foundation Trust.

This contains material that some may find distressing.

Mr Aninakwa, of St Francis Way, Grays, Essex has been charged with 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 claimed that Mr Aninakwa 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.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust denies corporate manslaughter and an offence of failing to ensure the health and safety of non-employees.

It is claimed that the trust failed to provide satisfactory medical and mental health care and take reasonable steps to protect Ms Figueiredo from preventable self-harm.

The jury was told Alice took her own life using a bin bag.

She had tried to use plastic bags in an attempt to kill or harm herself on 18 previous occasions during the five months she was there.

The court heard despite that, bin bags continued to be used in communal areas.

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."

Mr Atkinson added that the records of the incidents were not properly assessed and her access to materials that she used to self-harm were not 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.

The trial is expected to last nine weeks.

If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line