Essex mental health provider fined

Mental health service provider North Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust (NEPUFT) has been fined for safety failings after a resident with a history of trying to escape fell from the first floor window of a secure unit in Harlow.

The 18 year old, who does not wish to be named, suffered two fractures to her back and a dislocated right knee after falling a distance of three-and-a-half metres from her dormitory bedroom window at the Derwent Centre on Hamstel Road on 27th July 2013.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard the incident could have been prevented had a window restrictor on her bedroom dormitory window been properly set to the required 100mm.

North Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust, of Chelmsford, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £615.

Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Kim Tichias, said: “The risks of vulnerable patients falling from windows are well known. There have been a number of similar accidents in recent years, including fatalities, and any windows that are accessible to vulnerable people should be restrained so that they cannot be opened far enough to allow people to fall out.

“This incident is all the more serious because it involves a member of the public who was in this environment specifically to ensure her safety and well-being.

“Furthermore, the Trust was aware of the risks but had not put adequate safety measures in place in a timely manner. A window restrictor, correctly set to allow a maximum opening of 100mm, would have prevented this incident and the serious injuries suffered.”