A private healthcare company providing mental health services to NHS patients has been fined £650,000 for putting patients at risk of serious harm.
The charges were brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following the escape of Matthew Cavey, 23, from Woodbourne Priory Hospital in Birmingham in 2020.
The next day, he was hit by a train and was found dead with severe head injuries.
The court heard Cavey, who had no previous medical diagnosis or treatment, was diagnosed as suffering from a psychotic episode on September 8, 2020, after experiencing hallucinations and hearing voices.
He was classified under the Mental Health Act and taken by ambulance to Priory Hospital in Woodbourne on September 7.
The next day he climbed over the fence in the ward’s courtyard and was found dead the next morning.
The court heard that three other patients had climbed over the fence two years before the incident, but it was only after Cavey’s death that Priory Healthcare, which runs the hospital, increased the size of the fence. It was after that. To prevent further escapes.
“The death of a child changes DNA”
Ms Cavey’s father, Richard, a former editor of the Sunday Times, appeared in court and read out a victim statement.
Fighting back tears and in a husky voice, he explained that he had driven from his home in London to look for his runaway son and was just 200 meters away when he was hit by a train.
Speaking about the impact he had on his two daughters, he said: “It was the most hurtful and traumatic experience of their lives, and it continues to this day.”
Cavey then spoke about the influence it had on him and his wife: “The death of a child changes the DNA. The natural order of the world is forever destroyed, even if the sun tries to show its face every morning.”
He criticized Priory Healthcare’s response to his son’s death, saying: “A company that had a solemn legal duty to care for Matthew and keep him safe tried to cover up the facts about his death. “His ability to grieve was hampered for many years because of this.” Avoiding his death and avoiding responsibility for that grave failure. I had to shut out my own personal sense of loss in order to focus on seeking the truth and campaigning for accountability on behalf of my family. ”
He continued: “We are here today solely because of my privilege. I have the time, money, networks and determination to put together the vast amount of evidence that proves the responsibility of the Order in my son’s death. That if I had been a single mother trying to raise two more children on minimum wage, Priory Healthcare Limited would have been free to stomp on me and cover up their crimes. It’s really shocking and upsetting to think about. The truth would never have been known.”
James Marsland, prosecuting, told the court that several staff members observed Mr Cavey as a flight risk but this did not lead to a re-assessment of the risk or referral to senior management. .
A medical assistant accompanied him to a fenced courtyard, but when he refused to return, she left him to seek help, but was distracted by the needs of another patient. Police were called five minutes after the escape.
Priory’s sin was serious.
Paul Greaney KC, acting for Priory, said the company had implemented recommendations from three investigations: its own internal investigation, the local NHS trust’s report and the coroner’s comments after the inquest.
The fence, which was originally 2.8 meters high, has been increased to 3 meters.
As more patients escaped, this height was increased to 3.2 meters. This is the standard that Priory has implemented in all unsafe facilities.
Delivering the sentence, District Judge Shamim Qureshi said Priory’s crimes were serious.
He criticized statistical analysis that had so far shown the three fugitives had little or no injuries, saying the “likelihood of harm” by the fugitives was “unpredictable.” Ta. Some patients may be a danger to themselves. That’s why they were split up. ”
He said the fine was originally £1 million but reduced to £650,000 following Priory’s guilty plea.
He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £43,672.65 and a surcharge of £170.
Speaking outside court, Mr Caseby again criticized Priory’s failures and highlighted the number of other patients who had died under its treatment.
He said: “Until the government ends the NHS outsourcing of mental health services to convents, this roll call of deaths and neglect will continue.”
