"Things need to happen or there will be more deaths" - Coroner hits out over another death at The Priory unit
16.05.2024 - 18:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A coroner has vowed to write to the health secretary because 'things need to happen' following another concerning death at a psychiatric unit run by The Priory Group.
Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridgman spoke out after a jury returned a 'misadventure' verdict over the death of Amina Ismail, 20, who they concluded died of 'ligature strangulation'. She went into cardiac arrest after her constant, one-on-one observations were reduced to every 15 minutes, the inquest has heard.
Amina, 20, was found collapsed in her room on the Pankhurst Ward, a locked psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU), at the Priory's Cheadle Royal Hospital, Stockport, on September 15 last year. Emergency services attended and continued resuscitation attempts which had been commenced by staff, but she was pronounced dead shortly after.
READ MORE: Andy Burnham identifies 'win win' in Old Trafford redevelopment - but says club 'would have to' pay
Amina, originally from Birmingham, had been taken in as an out-of-area patient in the privately-owned hospital under the Mental Health Act since August 2022, some 13 months before she died. She had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The court was previously told how her struggles began when a police investigation was launched into historic abuse she had suffered as a child.
Following a three-week inquest at Stockport Coroners' Court, today (Thursday) jurors recorded a 'misadventure' verdict, noting that a health care assistant had not followed policy and that the Amina's length of stay at the clinic and deteriorating condition had contributed to her death.
They concluded: "Amina was ready for step down in September 2022, but was subject to a