Investigation and inquest
From 17th to 27th November2014 the death of Rebecca Louise Overy was the subject of an Article 2 Inquest. It was found that Miss Overy had died as a result of hypoxic brain injury as a result of asphyxia whilst in adult secure mental health detention. The jury returned a Narrative Conclusion.
Circumstances of the death
Miss Overy’s fatal injury was self-inflicted, and occurred whilst she remained on the adult admission ward. She had been transferred there from Child and Adolescent secure mental health detention the day after her 18th birthday, without any prior visit to the adult institution and without any plan for a gradual transition, given Miss Overy’s particular circumstances, despite this being proposed by her adolescent responsible clinician.
Coroner’s concerns
1. That the immediate transfer of Miss Overy the day after her 18th birthday was not in her best interests, was detrimental to her mental health and occurred purely due to the operation of s 30 of the Health and Social Care Act, whereby the commissioners were obliged to arrange an immediate transfer, and the clinicians to concur with it, lest they be in breach of the act.
2. That there is no provision for secure mental health care for young adults in the age range 18-24, with a clinical picture similar to Rebecca’s.