Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has a ‘clear plan’ to address issues raised in CQC review of Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane’s care
After a CQC review found errors in the mental health care of killer Valdo Calocane, an NHS trust has said it has a ‘clear plan’ to address issues.
The final part of the CQC’s special review, commissioned by the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins MP following the killings of Ian Coates, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Barnaby Webber during an attack in Nottingham in June 2023, was published today (August 13).
Calocane, who was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, was under the care of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) between May 2020 and September 2022, during which time the CQC found there had been a series of errors, omissions, and misjudgements in his care, including risk assessments which minimised or omitted key details and did not make explicit the serious nature of the risk Calocane posed to himself and others based on previous behaviour.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare chief executive, Ifti Majid said: “I offer our sincere apologies to the families of Grace, Ian and Barnaby who lost their lives and to Wayne, Sharon and Marcion who were seriously injured. Clearly, today is another reminder of the tragic events of last June, and our thoughts are with all those whose lives changed irreparably after the attacks.
“We acknowledge and accept the conclusions of this report and have significantly improved processes and standards since the review was carried out. Our teams have much more contact with people waiting to be seen in the community to agree crisis plans and ensure they have an up-to-date risk assessment even when they are struggling to engage with our services or primary care.
“Colleagues are also working to improve alignment between our teams, primary care and talking therapies, helping to reduce waiting times as well as communicate more effectively when patients move between services or disengage from treatment.
“We have a clear plan to address the issues highlighted and are doing everything in our power to understand where we missed opportunities and learn from them.”
Recommendations made by the CQC for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust included requirements for the trust to review treatment plans for people with schizophrenia regularly to ensure treatment is in line with national guidelines, and ensure clinical supervision of decisions to detain people under section two and three of the Mental Health Act.
