Police probe Leicestershire patient deaths during Covid pandemic
A recent employment tribunal heard the patient, named only as Patient One in proceedings, was a new arrival on the Beaumont Ward of the unit in September 2020. He was able to escape from the ward's garden, before taking his own life, the tribunal was told.Safety concerns on the ward during Covid were at the heart of the case, with former consultant, Dr Mariam Benaris, claiming she was forced out of her role after blowing the whistle over her fears around patient safety.The tribunal heard Dr Benaris and others working on Beaumont were concerned about the number of new admissions - who would have been at the start of the recovery and often had more complex needs - being concentrated in one ward, and the increased pressure they said this put on employees.The trust told the tribunal the admissions ward was set up in response to NHS England's guidance in the early stages of the pandemic, adding it had conversations around controls to reduce risks relating to the new structure with mitigations being put in place.It also denies its actions were intended as a detriment for the whistleblowing, saying Dr Benaris moved "voluntarily".None of the three patients who lost their lives have been named by Leicestershire Police.Confirming an investigation into "offences relating to corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter", a spokesman said: "The investigation remains ongoing. No charges have been brought at this time."
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