A mental health hospital has said it is “deeply sorry” following their neglect which contributed to the death of a vulnerable man who was hit by a train.
Personal trainer Matthew Caseby, 23, lived in London and was originally detained under the Mental Health Act following reports of a man running on to railway tracks near Oxford on September 3, 2020.
Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard that the patient was able to leave Birmingham’s Priory Hospital Woodbourne, where he was an NHS-funded patient, by climbing over a courtyard fence, in September 2020.
READ ALSO: Thames Valley Police officers win bravery award after saving a woman's life
The inquest was told Mr Caseby was hit by a train near Birmingham’s University station on September 8 2020, a day after he was seen leaving the hospital.
The inquest jury, which heard that the University of Birmingham graduate should have been under constant observation, but was left unattended, reached a conclusion that death “was contributed to by neglect”.
After hearing two weeks of evidence, jurors said that Mr Caseby had been left “inappropriately unattended” in the courtyard, first for a period of 100 seconds and then for five minutes.
As well as noting that the courtyard was “not suitable for patients to use” due to the lack of risk assessment.
READ ALSO: Fusion Arts Centre in Oxford set to be demolished to make way for redevelopment
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Professor Jennifer Shaw, who carried out an independent investigation into his care, told the inquest Mr Caseby was “said to be eyeing up the fence” in a courtyard area at the hospital in the days before he absconded.
In a statement issued after the inquest, Mr Caseby’s father, Richard Caseby, 61, said: “Matthew was a beautiful, gentle and intelligent young man whose ambition was to help everyone live a better life through exercise.
“He was loved by his family and he had so much promise.
“After a long campaign, we are pleased that the truth has finally been heard. We thank the coroner for being so forensic and sensitive in her investigation into our son’s death.”
READ ALSO: Strikes postponed at Oxford MINI following new pay offer
A spokesman for the Priory Hospital Woodbourne said: “We would like to say how deeply sorry we are to Matthew’s family, and we apologise unreservedly for the shortcomings in care identified during both the investigation process and the inquest.
“We accept that the care provided at Woodbourne in this instance fell below the high standard patients and their families rightly expect from us, and we fully recognise that improvements are needed to the service.
“We have already implemented changes in relation to policies, procedures and the hospital environment, but we will now carefully study the coroner’s findings to ensure that we take all necessary measures to improve patient safety at Woodbourne, including carrying out an urgent review of the environmental safety arrangements on Beech Ward.”
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok
Got a story for us? Send us your news and pictures here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here