logo
Nottingham attack families ask Streeting for names of staff who treated killer

Nottingham attack families ask Streeting for names of staff who treated killer

A February report into the care received by Calocane detailed how he was not forced to have long-lasting antipsychotic medication because he did not like needles, and how other patients at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust also went on to commit 'extremely serious' acts of violence.
The relatives of 19-year-old students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, met with Wes Streeting on Monday and asked for those responsible to be held accountable.
After the meeting, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, Grace's father, said: 'It was the actions of a few people that put a dangerous man out in the community'.
Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, killed three people and attempted to kill three more in Nottingham in June 2023.
He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder.
Calocane was admitted to hospital and sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times between 2020 and 2022 because of his violent behaviour and refusal to take his medication, before NHS services lost track of him and discharged him in the months before the attacks.
Three reports: including one by the Care Quality Commission (CQC); described failings in his care but none included practitioners' names, Dr Kumar said with copies of the documents in-hand.
Speaking outside the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), he told reporters: 'We'd like to know who was involved in the care of this person who committed all this harm. Why aren't there any names?
'He was sectioned four times – was it four different consultants? Was it one consultant? Who were the teams who didn't do their jobs?'
He said: 'I think we deserve to know the detail – everyone in the country who has suffered the way we have through mental health-related homicide deserves to have the detail.
'When an operation goes wrong, someone gets named.'
Dr Kumar added: 'We want people to just know, if they did wrong, what is it they need to do to be put right? Whether it's retraining, whether it's … doing the professional development again.
'The point is that you just can't have people who are providing a risky service even now.'
He added that the Health Secretary was 'very much on our side, he very much wants to see a way through' and that Mr Streeting has promised 'he's going to work hard at it'.
Prior to the meeting, the families said in a statement that their correspondence with the mental health trust's chief executive, Ifti Majid, had been 'light on detail, vague, evasive, defensive and contradictory'.
They added that he failed to answer Dr Kumar's questions.
Dr Kumar said he has given Mr Streeting the questions he put to the chief executive.
He said the Health Secretary 'has promised to do his best to get us all the answers', adding that he has confidence in Mr Streeting because he has 'taken a personal interest in this case' and likewise 'wants to end homicide by mental health'.
Their meeting also follows a complaint lodged with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by the families regarding an 'offensive' encounter with one of the watchdog's regional directors.
Dr Kumar told The Sunday Times newspaper that their meeting with the IOPC, nine months after the attacks, began with a prayer, which he found 'patronising'.
The issue was not discussed with Mr Streeting on Monday and would require a different meeting, he told reporters.
A DHSC spokesperson said: 'Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS England have accepted all the recommendations made in both the CQC and NHS England-commissioned reviews into the care and treatment received by Valdo Calocane.
'The Health and Social Care Secretary has called for recommendations from both reviews to be implemented as soon as possible and met with the bereaved families today to discuss the NHS England-commissioned Independent Homicide Review.
'As part of this work, NHS England has developed and is actively implementing evidence-based national guidance, so that all trusts are clear on the standards of care expected for patients with serious mental illnesses.
'We remain committed to delivering the fundamental changes needed to mental health services to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Psychological support system opens to infected blood victims
Psychological support system opens to infected blood victims

The Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Psychological support system opens to infected blood victims

Thousands of people impacted by the infected blood scandal in England will be able to self refer to a bespoke psychological support NHS service, officials have announced. The nationwide service began a phased rollout in September, and is now open to people infected and affected across the country. The Infected Blood Psychological Service will include talking therapies; peer support and psychosocial support, NHS England said. More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after they were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. And more than 3,000 people have died as a result, while survivors are living with lifelong health implications. The new service is open to victims of the scandal as well as bereaved partners, parents, children and their extended families. People can self refer by phone or can be referred to the service by their GP. Officials said that a specialist therapist will help create tailored mental health plans for those in need of support. Claire Murdoch, national mental health director at NHS England, said: 'The contaminated blood scandal and the subsequent long fight for answers have had life-altering physical and psychological impacts for thousands across the country and the NHS is determined to ensure that anyone infected or affected can receive evidence-based support and treatment. 'It has been so important that the Infected Blood Psychological Service has been co-designed with members of the infected blood community to ensure the best and most personalised care possible, and we are very grateful to all our partners who have helped establish these vital new services.' Nicola Leahey, from Lancashire, was infected with Hepatitis C following blood transfusions in 1975 and/or 1980, and was part of the expert advisory group to the new service. 'After my diagnosis, I felt that my body had been violated, that I had been physically and mentally abused, stripped of my dignity, my self-esteem diminished, I mourned lost opportunities, I felt betrayed,' she said. 'So many of us have long awaited the opportunity to have professional support to try to cope with the trauma and life-long effects that we've been subjected to. 'I'm thrilled that this much-needed service is now operational for both those infected and affected members of the infected blood community across England.' Professor Meghana Pandit, co-national medical director for secondary care at NHS England, added: 'Following the recommendations of the Inquiry, this new service represents a vital step in ensuring patients and families affected in England can be offered tailored psychological treatment and support, and we are pleased that specialist clinics are now open in all areas of England. 'This bespoke psychological treatment is already making a difference to the lives of the first people to access it, and we now want to ensure everyone eligible is aware of the services provided.'

Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps
Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps

The Herald Scotland

time42 minutes ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps

Lynch syndrome is a rare condition which runs in families which puts people at a higher risk of developing cancers of the bowel, womb and ovaries. It is caused by a mutation in the gene that fixes mistakes in DNA when it is copied, which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. Patients with bowel or womb cancer should have their tumours assessed for markers of Lynch syndrome, according to guidance for the NHS. If these markers are identified, patients should be referred for genetic testing so the diagnosis can be confirmed and they can get support and advice about cancer risk for themselves and their family. A new study by academics at the University of Edinburgh found not all womb cancer patients are being sent for genetic testing. Researchers examined data on 2,500 womb cancer patients across the UK and Ireland between 2022 and 2023. We have launched a Guide to #LynchSyndrome to help provide information and support to anyone who thinks they may have it, that it may run in the family, or have found out they have — The Eve Appeal (@eveappeal) February 13, 2023 They found that 91% of tumours were tested for markers of Lynch syndrome, but the test results were not routinely communicated to the wider clinical team. This means that follow-up genetic counselling and blood tests were not always arranged. Of the 181 participants eligible for genetic counselling, just under two-thirds (64%) were referred for appointments, according to the study, which has been published in the journal BMJ Oncology. Researchers said those who were referred faced long waits, resulting in high dropout rates, meaning only 48% of those eligible went on to get the test. Today's #LynchSyndromeAwarenessDay. Our policy team sat down with our supporter, Jane, to share her experience. As well as highlighting what else needs to be done to improve Lynch syndrome care. Read our blog: — Bowel Cancer UK (@bowelcanceruk) March 22, 2025 Experts from the university said gaps in testing mean some womb cancer patients with Lynch syndrome go undetected. Family members are also left vulnerable to cancer risk, unaware they may have the condition. Dr Neil Ryan, from the University of Edinburgh, who leads the UK audit and research collaborative in obstetrics and gynaecology, said: 'Despite clear guidance and excellent rates of tumour testing, too many women with Lynch syndrome are still being missed because they're not referred for definitive blood testing in a timely way. 'This not only denies them the chance to reduce their future cancer risk but also prevents their relatives from being tested and protected. 'Tumour testing is only cost-effective if it leads to diagnosis — we urgently need to make mainstream testing truly mainstream.'

Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps
Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps

South Wales Argus

timean hour ago

  • South Wales Argus

Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed' due to testing gaps

A lack of testing for Lynch syndrome also means some cancer patients are unaware of their risk of developing other cancers, academics said. Lynch syndrome is a rare condition which runs in families which puts people at a higher risk of developing cancers of the bowel, womb and ovaries. It is caused by a mutation in the gene that fixes mistakes in DNA when it is copied, which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. Patients with bowel or womb cancer should have their tumours assessed for markers of Lynch syndrome, according to guidance for the NHS. If these markers are identified, patients should be referred for genetic testing so the diagnosis can be confirmed and they can get support and advice about cancer risk for themselves and their family. A new study by academics at the University of Edinburgh found not all womb cancer patients are being sent for genetic testing. Researchers examined data on 2,500 womb cancer patients across the UK and Ireland between 2022 and 2023. We have launched a Guide to #LynchSyndrome to help provide information and support to anyone who thinks they may have it, that it may run in the family, or have found out they have — The Eve Appeal (@eveappeal) February 13, 2023 They found that 91% of tumours were tested for markers of Lynch syndrome, but the test results were not routinely communicated to the wider clinical team. This means that follow-up genetic counselling and blood tests were not always arranged. Of the 181 participants eligible for genetic counselling, just under two-thirds (64%) were referred for appointments, according to the study, which has been published in the journal BMJ Oncology. Researchers said those who were referred faced long waits, resulting in high dropout rates, meaning only 48% of those eligible went on to get the test. Today's #LynchSyndromeAwarenessDay. Our policy team sat down with our supporter, Jane, to share her experience. As well as highlighting what else needs to be done to improve Lynch syndrome care. Read our blog: — Bowel Cancer UK (@bowelcanceruk) March 22, 2025 Experts from the university said gaps in testing mean some womb cancer patients with Lynch syndrome go undetected. Family members are also left vulnerable to cancer risk, unaware they may have the condition. Dr Neil Ryan, from the University of Edinburgh, who leads the UK audit and research collaborative in obstetrics and gynaecology, said: 'Despite clear guidance and excellent rates of tumour testing, too many women with Lynch syndrome are still being missed because they're not referred for definitive blood testing in a timely way. 'This not only denies them the chance to reduce their future cancer risk but also prevents their relatives from being tested and protected. 'Tumour testing is only cost-effective if it leads to diagnosis — we urgently need to make mainstream testing truly mainstream.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store