Christopher Sidle was a service user under the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) when he sadly lost his life, despite warnings from family and other medical professionals involved in his care.
The Guardian article explained: “A series of failings by a troubled NHS mental health trust contributed to the death of a former government climate change adviser, a coroner has found.
Christopher Sidle, 51, who had a history of psychosis, fatally self-harmed on 1 July last year during a psychotic episode two days after being refused a crisis admission by Norfolk and Suffolk foundation trust (NSFT) despite warnings from his family and a trust psychiatrist, Norfolk coroner’s court heard.
Sidle threw himself from a taxi three days after he became acutely psychotic and told his family that “aliens were coming” and that he had “three days left to live”.
NSFT’s crisis team was repeatedly warned of this “countdown” by his sister, Dr Katie Sidle, a consultant neurologist, as she pleaded with staff to allow her brother to be admitted to hospital. But her concerns were ignored, the inquest heard.”
The inquest has also lead to Chief Coroner Jacqueline lake writing two Prevention of Future Deaths; one for NSFT and one to the Department of Health due to the lack of mental health beds available.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24204727.norfolks-senior-coroner-issues-report-following-ndr-death
The last psychiatrist who assessed Sidle, Dr Vassiliki Papachronopoulou, also warned a trust manager she was “extremely concerned” about the trust’s refusal to admit Sidle. But this warning also went unheeded, the inquest heard. – (The Guardian, 2024)
Christophers death was completely avoidable and lead to his sister, Dr Kate Sidle pressing for a public inquiry into NSFT to try and uncover the huge failings which are ‘beyond that of an internal investigation’ on BBC News which you can watch below. She also hopes it will help other trusts that are struggling in the country and to prevent irreversible damage that can occur when psychosis is not quickly acted upon and left to worsen.