At a recent Inquest at the Medico Legal Centre in Sheffield, Martha O’Toole, Solicitor, acted on behalf of the family of Gareth Etchells-Height who died by suicide at Wainwright Crescent, a step-down mental health facility under Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust.
Martha provided crucial support to Gareth’s family throughout the process which spanned several months and assisted with two separate witness statements and helped the family to ask questions they wanted answers to during the Inquest. Martha also offered emotional support and acted as their voice during this incredibly challenging time.
Her expertise and contributions were instrumental in informing the Coroner’s factual findings which culminated in a Prevention of Future Deaths Report being issued to the Trust which hopefully will save lives in the future.
Senior Barrister, Sarah Edwards of 7 Bedford Row, represented the family during the three-day hearing, skilfully questioning witnesses and providing a comprehensive summary which helped to inform the Coroner’s narrative conclusion and factual findings.
As a result of the adept preparation and thorough questioning by the family’s legal team, concerning issues surrounding Gareth’s death were revealed. The Coroner found that the hospital discharge report lacked crucial details and failed to provide an accurate handover to healthcare professionals at Wainwright Crescent, which meant that staff were ill informed as to risk factors. She also found there to be a poor process for keeping and reviewing medical records which resulted in an outdated understanding of Gareth’s condition. Furthermore, there was a failure to update his risk assessment before he died when the risk of harm had materially changed, impacting the identification of triggers for his acute mental health crisis and suicide risk.
Our thoughts are with Gareth’s loved ones during this difficult time and we hope that his death will not be in vain. Our thoughts are also with the family and friends of Gareth’s Mum, Caroline, who very sadly passed away in December 2023.
We extend our gratitude and thanks both to Sarah Edwards for her expertise and HM Assistant Coroner, Alexandra Pountney, for her thorough examination of the evidence.