Rebecca Hayward · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 12 January 2022 an inquest was formally opened into the death of Rebecca Hayward who died on 13 August 2021.

The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 13 October 2022. The conclusion of the inquest was the short form conclusion that Rebecca Hayward’s death was alcohol and drug related.

Rebecca Hayward had a history of substance addiction throughout her adult life. She managed to achieve abstinence from alcohol and drugs from March 2020 through to March 2021.

Ms Hayward’s recovery from addiction was vulnerable, however, and she was assessed by her substance misuse worker to be unable to avoid relapse if she were to be homeless and accommodated in hostel accommodation.

In the weeks leading up to Ms Hayward’s discharge from the care home, her substance misuse worker repeatedly and consistently reminded the professionals involved in Ms Hayward’s care of the need to avoid Ms Hayward being discharged into a hostel and of her view that a discharge to a hostel would result in Ms Hayward’s death from substance misuse.

Ms Hayward became homeless on discharge from her care placement on 31 March 2021 whereupon she was accommodated in a hotel. She was provided with hostel accommodation on 5 May 2021. As had been predicted, this led to a relapse into alcohol and, latterly, substance misuse with catastrophic consequences for Ms Hayward’s health and personal safety.

On 13 August 2021 Ms Hayward was found deceased at someone else’s property following a period of alcohol and substance misuse. Ms Hayward’s death was a predictable consequence of the effect upon her of becoming homeless on 31 March 2021.

(1) Assessments of persons with severe and multiple disadvantage are undertaken by persons with little or no experience or specialist training in homelessness and substance misuse, resulting in inaccurate assessment and plans;

(2) Where a person is about to move to a different type of accommodation, Care Act assessments are only extended to include consideration of the individual’s changed care needs in their new environment if the early assessment work identifies eligible care needs in their current circumstances, with the social care provision subsequently being dependant on a re-referral and where such re-referrals are resisted;

Other areas of concern existed regarding other issues but plans were in place to address these areas and so I did not have ongoing concerns of a risk of future deaths.