Investigation and inquest
On 23 August 2012 I commenced an investigation into the death of Rafal Delezuch. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 23rd January 2015. The conclusion of the inquest was that Mr Delezuch died from Amphetamine induced delirium in association with prolonged struggle.
Circumstances of the death
Early in the morning, from about 06.00 onward, the patient was seen to have been acting in a bizarre manner in the Highfields area of Leicester, including knocking on doors and exhibiting symptoms of paranoia. The police were called. The patient voluntarily got into the back seat of a police car, but then became agitated and the officer attempted (without success) to subdue him by use of his captor spray. 3 other officers eventually attended the scene and the patient was restrained and detained under S.136 M.H.A. and taken to L.R.I. in the back of a police van.
Coroner’s concerns
(1) Although the Trust had a policy for Restraint for dealing with aggressive patients, it became clear from the witnesses from the Trust who gave evidence, that many of the staff in the Emergency Department (including the Senior Registrar in charge of the case) were either wholly unaware of the Policy or unaware of, and had no training in, the application of the policy.
(2) It also became clear that the Senior Registrar was not familiar with the dangers of prolonged restraint of a patient in the prone (face-down) position
(3) When it was decided that the patient was in need of rapid tranquilisation then:
a) A supply of Lorazepam from the manufacturer was apparently not available and no policy appeared to have been devised for the priority use of any limited supply of Lorazepam within the Trust and there was no awareness amongst the clinicians of the availability of alternative medications
b)The possibility of a licensed product or of the alternative of Promethazine does not appear to have been pursued. The importance of quick-acting drugs, for the purpose of rapid tranquilisation did not appear to have been fully appreciated.
(4) Although the NICE guidelines were printed off and consulted in dealing with the rapid tranquilisation, a reference there to the fact that diazepam was “not recommended” was overlooked.