Vulnerable woman on 24-hour watch died after she went to the toilet alone

'LESSONS MUST BE LEARNED' FROM TRAGEDY AT MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY Local democracy reporter

A VULNERABLE woman died in a mental health facility after being allowed to go to the toilet on her own despite the fact she was meant to be being watched 24 hours a day.

Georgina Hallam, from Nottingham, swallowed a foreign object in an act of self-harm when a healthcare assistant decided that the 47-year-old could use the bathroom at Bradley Complex Care Apartments in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, where she lived, with no supervision.

An inquest held at Greater Lincolnshire Coroners Court into the circumstances of her death on August 8, 2022, found that processes to make sure that the right staff were in place to care for Georgina were not carried out to the required standard.

Ms Hallam, who was born with a speech impediment, partial deafness, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities, lived on her own in Jacksdale in north Nottinghamshire until the Covid-19 pandemic.

In January 2022, after a period of worsening behavioural issues and self-harm incidents partly contributed to by disruption to her social support schedule, she moved into Bradley apartments, run by Elysium Healthcare Ltd.

During her time there, her behaviour worsened and she began to self-harm more often and more severely.

She was put on 24/7 one-to-one observations, meaning that staff needed to watch her all day and night including when she washed and went to the toilet.

Lawyers representing Ms Hallam's family at the inquest said that her care plan was "very clear" and that her need for 1:1 observations had even been explained to Georgina herself due to her history of self-harm.