Connor Sparrowhawk death: NHS clinician admits string of failings – The Guardian

Posted August 8th, 2017 in health, inquests, mental health, news, young persons by sally

‘A consultant psychiatrist has admitted a string of failings over the death of a vulnerable teenager who drowned in a bath at an NHS care unit.’

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The Guardian, 7th August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK judges rule DWP wrong to deny appeals over refused benefits – The Guardian

‘The Department for Work and Pensions has been unlawfully stopping people going to tribunal to appeal against decisions to refuse them benefits, three senior judges have ruled.’

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The Guardian, 4th August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Care failings contributed to death of woman in prison, inquest finds – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2017 in death in custody, mental health, news, prisons, women by tracey

‘A jury at the inquest of Sarah Reed, a mentally ill prisoner at HMP Holloway who took her life at the jail last year, has identified serious shortcomings in her care.’

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The Guardian, 20th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Vulnerable consumers praise lawyers but ask for more help – Legal Futures

Posted July 19th, 2017 in carers, legal services, Legal Services Board, mental health, news, solicitors by sally

‘Lawyers acting for mentally ill clients and dementia sufferers have been praised in surveys commissioned by the Legal Services Board (LSB) on the needs of vulnerable consumers, but some did find it hard to deal with solicitors.’

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Legal Futures, 18th July 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LSB launches research into vulnerable consumers’ experience of legal services – Legal Services Board

‘The Legal Services Board has today launched research into the experiences of consumers in vulnerable circumstances when they use legal service.’

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Legal Services Board, 14th July 2017

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Neglect contributed to Liverpool prisoner’s suicide, jury finds – The Guardian

Posted July 17th, 2017 in accidents, death in custody, inquests, mental health, news, prisons, suicide by tracey

‘An inquest jury has found that neglect contributed to the death of a prisoner who killed himself at Liverpool prison last year.’

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The Guardian, 16th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Allocations: Local Lettings and Undisclosed Policies – Garden Court Chambers

‘The defendant, Islington Borough Council, maintained an allocation scheme which provided that certain categories of people were excluded from joining the housing register, including those who had lived in the borough for less than three out of the previous five years. However, the scheme allowed for exceptions to be made. In particular, in respect of homeless applicants to whom a long-term housing duty under Part 7 Housing Act 1996 had been accepted.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 5th July 2017

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Mentally ill woman died in cell after monitoring was reduced, inquest hears – The Guardian

Posted July 5th, 2017 in inquests, mental health, news, prisons, suicide by sally

‘A vulnerable and seriously mentally ill woman had her supervision reduced and was unable to access her anti-psychotic medication before she died in Holloway Prison, an inquest has heard.’

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The Guardian, 4th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Boy’s confinement ‘breached human rights’ – BBC News

‘The human rights of a 16-year-old boy were breached by his being kept in solitary confinement for four-and-a-half months, the High Court has ruled.’

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BBC News, 4th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sally Hodkin murder: Failings led to killing by Nicola Edgington – BBC News

Posted June 26th, 2017 in mental health, murder, news, police, reports by sally

‘A series of NHS and police failings led to the brutal murder of a woman by a psychiatric patient, a report has found.’

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BBC News, 23rd June 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Trans woman receives police payout after being forced to strip naked and sprayed with mace – The Independent

‘A trans woman has won “substantial” damages after police stripped her and sprayed her in the face with mace, forcing her to wash her eyes out with toilet water.’

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The Independent, 20th June 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Buried alive’: the old men stuck in Britain’s prisons – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2017 in care homes, elderly, mental health, news, prisons by sally

‘They can’t manage the stairs, so they can’t exercise, or go to classes. They’re afraid to shower in case they fall. The ones with dementia don’t even know where they are. Is this any way to deal with elderly offenders? By Amelia Hill’

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The Guardian, 20th June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisons taking role of care homes and hospices as older population soars – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2017 in care homes, elderly, mental health, news, prisons, reports by sally

‘Prisons are now the largest providers of residential care for frail and elderly men in England and Wales and are increasingly turning into hospices, providing end-of-life care for older prisoners and even managing their deaths.’

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The Guardian, 20th June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court again highlights ‘severe consequences’ of deliberately breaching freezing order, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 19th, 2017 in freezing injunctions, injunctions, mental health, news, sentencing by sally

‘The High Court has again highlighted the “severe consequences” of deliberately breaching a freezing order, imposing a 12-month prison sentence on a woman who failed to comply with two deadlines and later lied to the court, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Deepcut inquest to examine bullying claims – The Guardian

Posted June 19th, 2017 in armed forces, bullying, harassment, inquests, mental health, news, suicide by sally

‘A fresh inquest into the death of a soldier at Deepcut barracks will examine whether he was hounded to death by “bullying and harassment”, a court has heard.’

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The Guardian, 16th June 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Munira Ali: Examining the dissolution of the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into mental health and deaths in prisons: another missed opportunity? – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The issues relating to imprisonment of individuals with mental health problems in the UK has attracted considerable attention, as the number of self-inflicted deaths has risen to the highest number since records began in 1978. With a rate of one prison suicide every three days, the director of the Howard League described the current rate as having reached “epidemic proportions”. The steady rise of deaths in custody has prompted a series of inquiries in recent years, and has drawn scrutiny from UN bodies and Special Procedures, and more recently, UN Member States as part of a periodic review of its human rights performance. However, despite this, little progress has been made.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th June 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Making it up as you go – Nearly Legal

‘C was accepted for the full housing duty by Islington, with her 3 children, as a result of domestic violence. C is profoundly deaf. She had been living in Southwark, but following the DV, was in refuge in Islington and applied as homeless there. She was, eventually, given 3 bed temporary accommodation in Islington.’

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Nearly Legal, 6th June 2017

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Solicitor fined for making false claims in litigation “while suffering mental illness” – Litigation Futures

‘A solicitor has been fined £7,500 for making false claims about being in possession of documents in personal injury cases – misconduct which a psychiatrist attributed to an illness that temporarily affected her ability to work.’

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Litigation Futures, 7th June 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Audi garage not to blame for bullied mechanic killing himself, coroner rules – The Guardian

Posted May 26th, 2017 in inquests, mental health, news, suicide by tracey

‘An Audi garage where an apprentice mechanic was bullied before he killed himself was not to blame for his death, a coroner has decided.’

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The Guardian, 25th May 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Suicide jail failed to improve, says doctor – BBC News

Posted May 23rd, 2017 in mental health, news, prisons, psychiatrists, suicide by tracey

‘Safety improvements were not made at a prison with the highest suicide rate in England and Wales despite a spate of deaths, a psychiatrist has told the BBC.’

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BBC news, 22nd May 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk