Michaela Jade Christoforou · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On the 24th April 2013 I opened an inquest touching the death of Michaela Jade Christoforou , 17 years old. The inquest concluded on the 28th April 2014. The conclusion of the inquest was suicide, the medical case of death was 1a Hypoxic Brain Injury, 1b Hanging and 1c anorexia nervosa and depression .

Michaela was 17 years old at the time of her death and a patient at Rhodes Farm Hospital in North London.

Michaela was suffering with an eating disorder and a risk of suicide and in the period leading up to her death was not able to leave hospital without the consent of the medical staff looking after her.

In January 2013, whilst at home, following an overdose and an attempt at hanging herself, Michaela returned initially to Forest House Adolescent Unit, a bedded unit for young people between the ages of 12 to 18 and then on the 18th January to Rhodes Farm Hospital, a 24 bedded specialist child and adolescent eating disorder service.

On the 24th January 2013 Michaela was detained under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and had to stay in hospital unless her doctors allowed her to leave the hospital.

On the 14th April 2013 Michaela was in hospital when found with bunting around her neck suspended from a metal locker in a classroom at the hospital.

Michaela was taken to St Mary’s Hospital Paddington where she died sadly on the 17th April 2013.

That all staff at the unit did not carry with them a ligature cutter.