Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust Failures Prompt Public Inquiry After Multiple Deaths
Former patients of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) have voiced concerns over care standards, alleging their warnings were ignored before a series of suicides. Laura Kenny, a former patient, recounted expressing worries about treatment at a Middlesbrough mental health unit, which an independent report later deemed "chaotic and unsafe." Her friend, Christie Harnett, was one of three young women, all under the age of 19, who died by suicide within months of each other while under TEWV's care.
The 2023 independent inquiry, commissioned by NHS England, scrutinised the deaths of Christie Harnett, Nadia Sharif, and Emily Moore, identifying instances of excessive and inappropriate restraint, instructions for staff not to intervene in self-harm incidents, and managerial tolerance of these failings. TEWV subsequently issued an apology, claiming to have implemented significant improvements.
However, bereaved families and former patients fear that lessons remain unlearned. Families of Nathan Evison, 19, and Laurent McNamara, who died more recently, also describe a lack of compassion and meaningful treatment, extending these concerns beyond in-patient facilities to community care decisions. Nathan Evison's family suggests a bed was available for him, yet the community mental health team chose not to admit him, leading to his death within hours.
Despite a statutory public inquiry being announced last December, families report disappointing delays in its establishment. A meeting on 31 March with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) failed to provide concrete details regarding leadership, commencement, or location. The DHSC states it is working "at pace" to appoint a chair, affirming a commitment to foregrounding patient and family voices.
In 2024, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) prosecuted TEWV, imposing a £215,000 fine for safety failings contributing to the deaths of Christie Harnett and another unnamed woman. The Trust pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to provide safe care, exposing patients to "a significant risk of avoidable harm."
Alison Smith, TEWV chief executive since last September, stated the Trust would "co-operate fully with the public inquiry with honesty, openness, humility, grace and kindness," and acknowledged an opportunity to learn and improve. TEWV no longer provides in-patient care for young people, with neighbouring trusts now handling such cases. Recent CQC reports indicate some improvements, including in safety and incident reporting policies. Nevertheless, affected families and former patients seek definitive answers and justice, hoping the inquiry will lead to robust, safer care.
