Scott Alan Taylor · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 16th May 2023 I commenced an investigation into the death of Scott Alan Taylor, aged 49 years.

My investigation concluded at the end of his inquest hearing on 6th July 2026.

The medical cause of death was -

1a Pressure on neck
1b Hanging

Scott Taylor died on 12th May 2023 after suspending himself ████████
████████ This act caused his death and this was his intention.

A conclusion of suicide was recorded.

Mr Taylor at the time of his death was suffering with a profound and long standing mental illness. It was diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He was receiving treatment in the community, but he had also been treated as an in patient. His condition was resistant to treatment at the time of his death.

Referrals had been made to a tertiary service to provide specialist treatment for his condition. Access to this service is dependant on the patient completing a certain amount of treatment in primary and secondary settings before a referral can be accepted.

It was heard in evidence that at the time of Mr Taylor’s death, had he been successful in accessing this centre, there was a waiting list of over 12-15 months before treatment could begin.

The only centre to provide this care at the time was in London. Mr Taylor lived in the North East of England.

Mr Taylor, two days prior to his death had expressed his feelings of hopelessness due to the inability of accessing specialist treatment at such a centre and the timescales involved.

At the time of writing this report it appears that only a small number of tertiary centres able to care for patients with treatment resistant OCD exist in the United Kingdom. They appear to be located in London and the South East.

The criteria to access these services and the limited capacity they have, it seems prevents clinicians treating patients being able to call upon specialist services that a tertiary centre/s can provide to they patients. Particularly, where a patient’s case is complex and resistant to all that primary and secondary care services can offer in terms of treatment.

These centres are also not located across the whole of the United Kingdom for ease of access for those patients not residing in the immediate locality of the current centres.