{"id":39086,"date":"2025-11-26T17:36:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=39086"},"modified":"2025-11-27T08:24:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:24:56","slug":"nhs-trust-fined-200k-over-vulnerable-girls-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=39086","title":{"rendered":"NHS trust fined \u00a3200k over vulnerable girl&#8217;s death"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-0 bWRWzH\">\n<div class=\"sc-573fa0e8-1 bNZQpT\">14 hours ago<\/p>\n<p><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-2 sc-28fdc07f-5 sc-28fdc07f-6 fQbEOM dSGHyC kuBZLr\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-0 sjpOl\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-1 fpFxhF\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" data-action=\"save\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-2 sc-28fdc07f-5 sc-28fdc07f-6 ejnpYO dWrhlh kycDtY\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-0 sjpOl\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-1 fpFxhF\">Save<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-11 cOQNNv\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-7 kdBCdE\">Juliette Parkin<!-- -->,<\/span><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors-contributor-0-role-location\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-8 eDNgSC\">in Brighton<\/span><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-9 keGieE\">and<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sc-573fa0e8-7 kdBCdE\">Hsin-Yi Lo<!-- -->,<\/span><span data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors-contributor-1-role-location\" class=\"sc-573fa0e8-8 eDNgSC\">South East<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-2 sc-28fdc07f-5 sc-28fdc07f-6 fQbEOM dSGHyC kuBZLr\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-0 sjpOl\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-1 fpFxhF\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" data-action=\"save\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-2 sc-28fdc07f-5 sc-28fdc07f-6 ejnpYO dWrhlh kycDtY\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-0 sjpOl\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-28fdc07f-1 fpFxhF\">Save<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 gtLOOD\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/98a32650-cad1-11f0-8a1e-8f6cb8f8b753.png.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Family handout A girl with dyed red hair is smiling. She is wearing braces on her teeth. \" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\" \/><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 jVqbAn\">Family handout<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">An NHS trust has been fined \u00a3200,000 for failing to provide &#8220;safe care and treatment&#8221; for a 16-year-old girl who died on hospital grounds after fleeing her ward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Ellame Ford-Dunn, from Upper Beeding, West Sussex, died at Worthing Hospital in March 2022 where she had been admitted as a mental health inpatient.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">She ran into the grounds of the hospital and was not immediately followed by a nurse because of &#8220;confusion&#8221; and a lack of appropriate procedure in place, the court heard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Last month, <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cdxrvwyx072o\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 iCaRzc\">University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust (UHST) pleaded guilty<\/a> to failing to provide safe care and treatment to Ellame which exposed her to a significant risk of &#8220;avoidable harm&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 gXrNRM\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/grey-placeholder-2.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/64616d70-caea-11f0-b98a-b90b4f2123a5.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"BBC \/ Juliette Parkin A blonde woman in a puffer jacket and colourful scarf is holding a large photo of a girl with dyed red hair. She is standing next to a man wearing a black suit and white shirt. There are four other people standing behind them. The group is standing outside a magistrates&#039; court.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\" \/><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 jVqbAn\">BBC \/ Juliette Parkin<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">At the sentencing on Wednesday at Brighton Magistrates&#8217; Court, District Judge Tessa Szagun said &#8220;clear instructions to follow Ellame&#8221; if she left the ward &#8220;should have been incorporated&#8221; into the care plan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Ellame had been under 24-hour one-to-one supervision by a registered mental health nurse on an acute ward at Worthing Hospital.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">She was on that ward because there was &#8220;no alternative&#8221; and &#8220;no adequate bed&#8221; for her risk level was available, the court heard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The prosecution accepted the trust was in a &#8220;difficult position&#8221; and would have had to turn Ellame away otherwise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;No tier four was readily available and the high demand for such beds is a national issue,&#8221; said James Marsland, prosecuting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Judge Szagun added: &#8220;Nothing that the defendant organisation expressed in terms of their heartfelt apology and condolence or regret at the consequences of their accepted omissions, nor any fine I impose, or indeed any sentencing remarks I make, can begin to make any difference to how her family have been impacted by the devastation and shock of this loss.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 gXmhTb\">&#8216;No greater heartbreak&#8217;<\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Speaking outside the court, Ellame&#8217;s father Ken Ford-Dunn said the prosecution &#8220;recognised the significant failures&#8221; in their daughter&#8217;s care. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">He remembered Ellame as a &#8220;bright firework in the dark sky&#8221; and a &#8220;loving caring soul&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;She was deeply loved and painfully missed,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The loss of Ellame has been devastating to all who loved her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;There&#8217;s no greater heartbreak than losing a child. But to lose a child that you believed was being kept safe, creates a pain beyond measure and a deep searing anger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Mr Ford-Dunn said no financial penalty could ever &#8220;match the destruction that has been caused&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">He also called for the money to be used by the CQC to fund children&#8217;s mental health services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 gXrNRM\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/grey-placeholder-2.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b9c040a0-cad3-11f0-8a1e-8f6cb8f8b753.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A carpark outside a hospital.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Chief nurse Dr Maggie Davies, spokesperson for UHST, said: &#8220;The loss of Ellame was a tragedy for her and for those who loved her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;Colleagues involved in her care remain devastated by her death and the impact it continues to have on her family and friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Dr Davies added when the trust appeared at last month&#8217;s hearing, it &#8220;acknowledged the seriousness of what happened&#8221; and the &#8220;devastating impact&#8221; on Ellame&#8217;s family and friends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;That remains true today,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;We had a responsibility to protect her while she was in our care, and we are sincerely sorry that we were not able to do that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;Everyone accepts that people with acute mental illness should not be in general hospital wards or A&amp;E departments, but that does not lessen our duty to keep patients safe whilst efforts are made to provide them with more appropriate care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Dr Davies added since Ellame&#8217;s death, the trust had made &#8220;significant improvements&#8221; to its policies, training and ward environments to &#8220;prevent anything like this happening again&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The judge fined UHST \u00a3200,000 which they will pay to the Care Quality Commission, along with prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of \u00a3190.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\"><i id=\"additional-reporting-by-pa.\" class=\"sc-d16436d-0 iVdNuz\">Additional reporting by PA.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<ul class=\"sc-6f869981-0 diUlgm\">\n<li class=\"sc-734a601e-0 cRgahm\"><i id=\"if-you-are-affected-by-any-of-the-issues-raised-in-this-story,-support-and-advice-is-available-via-the\" class=\"sc-d16436d-0 iVdNuz\">If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the <\/i><a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/articles\/4WLs5NlwrySXJR2n8Snszdg\/information-and-support-suicide-feelings-of-despair\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 kgTYQp\"><i id=\"bbc-action-line\" class=\"sc-d16436d-0 iVdNuz\">BBC Action Line<\/i><\/a><i id=\".\" class=\"sc-d16436d-0 iVdNuz\">.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 djqsWD\">\n<div class=\"sc-666b6d83-0 sc-c4fb5674-0 jYmMqa doYqeg\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-c4fb5674-2 bBuHEW\">More on this story<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 djqsWD\">\n<div class=\"sc-666b6d83-0 sc-c4fb5674-0 jYmMqa kGPvxx\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-c4fb5674-2 bBuHEW\">Related internet links<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>14 hours agoShareSaveJuliette Parkin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38525,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39086"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39092,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39086\/revisions\/39092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}