Latest news with #Easom-Cooper
North Wales Chronicle
23-05-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Attacks by NHS trust's patients ‘do not surprise us', say Nottingham families
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, said the failings of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 'continue to concern but sadly not surprise us' following the news that two men with paranoid schizophrenia, treated by the trust, stabbed members of the public in separate incidents weeks before the attacks. Josef Easom-Cooper and Junior Dietlin attacked six men in the county in 2023. Dr Susan Elcock, deputy chief executive and executive medical director at the trust, apologised 'for any aspect of our care which was not of the high standard our patients, their families and our communities deserve'. Another of the trust's patients, Valdo Calocane, went on to kill students Barnaby and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. A report into Calocane's care said he was not forced to have long-lasting anti-psychotic medication because he did not like needles. On behalf of the Nottingham families, Ms Webber told the PA news agency: 'Unless we expose those who are failing individually then nothing will ever change.' She said: 'The findings in the latest revelation about the Nottinghamshire mental health trust and its failings continue to concern but sadly not surprise us. 'As has been proven, it was a woefully inadequate, failing service. 'The statutory inquiry will provide our family with the opportunity to do the deeper dive and find out much more detail than any of the half-baked investigations that have taken place so far. 'What we find personally insulting is this continued 'unreserved apology and lessons will be learned' – they are not. They never have been. 'Unless we expose those who are failing individually then nothing will ever change. 'We completely stand united with anyone affected by any of these crimes, and in Barney, Grace and Ian's name, we will hold those to account who failed in any agency, and we will make sure that there is lasting change, not unreserved apologies and dusty reports on shelves.' In April 2023, Easom-Cooper stabbed a church-goer outside an Easter service and was sentenced to a hospital order in December of the same year. His mother, Shelly Easom, told the BBC he was sectioned in 2022 for three months and was discharged despite her telling the trust that he 'was not OK when he was released'. She told the broadcaster the attack could have been prevented if his condition had been taken more seriously. Dietlin stabbed five strangers in Nottingham and Mansfield nine weeks before the attack by Easom-Cooper and he also received a hospital order. Former police officer Keith Grafton, who was one of Dietlin's victims, told the BBC he was 'disappointed' his attacker had not received a prison sentence. The broadcaster said a report showed Dietlin had been involved with violent incidents with staff at Highbury Hospital in June 2022 and following his release, he took his medication 'very irregularly'. The BBC reported the day after his first attack on February 8 2023, he was visited by a staff member at the trust for a medication drop, but when community staff visited they found no signs of psychosis. Dietlin stabbed four more people between February 11 and 12. The trust said learning was identified in both cases – including capacity and risk assessment, liaison with police, medication drop-offs and follow-up and the role of families in working with patients who were harder to engage with. Dr Elcock said: 'Firstly, I apologise to those impacted by these incidents and for any aspect of our care which was not of the high standard our patients, their families and our communities deserve. 'Whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, I want to assure people that following any serious incident there is a robust review process which includes an initial management review to ensure any immediate learning and action takes place. 'This is then followed by a full investigation and a clear quality improvement plan detailing any learning and subsequent actions required. 'We have also implemented the new national patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF) which further strengthens this review and learning process. 'We know that it is really important for patients and families to be fully involved and I am confident our approach now ensures this happens, and that issues are addressed swiftly and transparently with patients involved in every aspect of their care. 'Above all, we remain fully committed to ensuring all our patients and their families receive the care they deserve, and our communities feel safe.'
Powys County Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Attacks by NHS trust's patients ‘do not surprise us', say Nottingham families
The mother of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks has said the victims' families stand united with anyone affected by stabbings carried out by those under the care of a 'woefully inadequate' mental health trust. Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, said the failings of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 'continue to concern but sadly not surprise us' following the news that two men with paranoid schizophrenia, treated by the trust, stabbed members of the public in separate incidents weeks before the attacks. Josef Easom-Cooper and Junior Dietlin attacked six men in the county in 2023. Dr Susan Elcock, deputy chief executive and executive medical director at the trust, apologised 'for any aspect of our care which was not of the high standard our patients, their families and our communities deserve'. Another of the trust's patients, Valdo Calocane, went on to kill students Barnaby and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. A report into Calocane's care said he was not forced to have long-lasting anti-psychotic medication because he did not like needles. On behalf of the Nottingham families, Ms Webber told the PA news agency: 'Unless we expose those who are failing individually then nothing will ever change.' She said: 'The findings in the latest revelation about the Nottinghamshire mental health trust and its failings continue to concern but sadly not surprise us. 'As has been proven, it was a woefully inadequate, failing service. 'The statutory inquiry will provide our family with the opportunity to do the deeper dive and find out much more detail than any of the half-baked investigations that have taken place so far. 'What we find personally insulting is this continued 'unreserved apology and lessons will be learned' – they are not. They never have been. 'Unless we expose those who are failing individually then nothing will ever change. 'We completely stand united with anyone affected by any of these crimes, and in Barney, Grace and Ian's name, we will hold those to account who failed in any agency, and we will make sure that there is lasting change, not unreserved apologies and dusty reports on shelves.' In April 2023, Easom-Cooper stabbed a church-goer outside an Easter service and was sentenced to a hospital order in December of the same year. His mother, Shelly Easom, told the BBC he was sectioned in 2022 for three months and was discharged despite her telling the trust that he 'was not OK when he was released'. She told the broadcaster the attack could have been prevented if his condition had been taken more seriously. Dietlin stabbed five strangers in Nottingham and Mansfield nine weeks before the attack by Easom-Cooper and he also received a hospital order. Former police officer Keith Grafton, who was one of Dietlin's victims, told the BBC he was 'disappointed' his attacker had not received a prison sentence. The broadcaster said a report showed Dietlin had been involved with violent incidents with staff at Highbury Hospital in June 2022 and following his release, he took his medication 'very irregularly'. The BBC reported the day after his first attack on February 8 2023, he was visited by a staff member at the trust for a medication drop, but when community staff visited they found no signs of psychosis. Dietlin stabbed four more people between February 11 and 12. The trust said learning was identified in both cases – including capacity and risk assessment, liaison with police, medication drop-offs and follow-up and the role of families in working with patients who were harder to engage with. Dr Elcock said: 'Firstly, I apologise to those impacted by these incidents and for any aspect of our care which was not of the high standard our patients, their families and our communities deserve. 'Whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, I want to assure people that following any serious incident there is a robust review process which includes an initial management review to ensure any immediate learning and action takes place. 'This is then followed by a full investigation and a clear quality improvement plan detailing any learning and subsequent actions required. 'We have also implemented the new national patient safety incident response framework (PSIRF) which further strengthens this review and learning process. 'We know that it is really important for patients and families to be fully involved and I am confident our approach now ensures this happens, and that issues are addressed swiftly and transparently with patients involved in every aspect of their care. 'Above all, we remain fully committed to ensuring all our patients and their families receive the care they deserve, and our communities feel safe.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'My son could so easily have been another Nottingham killer'
Two men with paranoid schizophrenia stabbed members of the public in separate attacks weeks before Valdo Calocane's killings in Nottingham – and all were under the care of the same NHS trust, the BBC has found. Josef Easom-Cooper and Junior Dietlin injured six men in the stabbings in Nottinghamshire in 2023. Within weeks, Calocane - who also has paranoid schizophrenia - stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates on 13 June 2023. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has been criticised over its care of Calocane, and in response to the BBC's findings, apologised to those "affected for any aspects of our care that were not of the high standard our patients deserve". On 9 April 2023, Easom-Cooper stabbed a worshipper who was leaving an Easter Sunday service at St Stephen's Church in Sneinton. The BBC has spoken to his victim, a man in his 40s, who survived. He did not wish to be interviewed. Shelly said as a teenager, her son was under the care of child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) in Nottingham. "I started to routinely go into his room and I would find knives... I found an axe, my kitchen knives would quite often be in his room," she said. Shelly said she would take photos of the weapons, and inform police and mental health services whenever she came across them. According to Shelly, things massively deteriorated when Easom-Cooper turned 18. During the grips of a psychotic episode, he left Highbury Hospital - where he was due to be sectioned - to kill a friend before he was stopped. He was then sectioned by the hospital - run by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - in July 2022 for three months, but Shelly says she told staff he was not ready to be discharged. "He was not OK when he was released," she said. "There was no way he was going to take his medication and I told them that... it was literally just a time bomb waiting to happen." Easom-Cooper was placed in accommodation managed by a housing association, but Shelly said he was "unravelling" in the seven months he was there, and not taking his medication while under the care of the trust's community team. Shelly remembers her shock and frustration when she learned about her son's knife attack. "I just bloody knew this was going to happen," she said. "I'm so sorry it happened. I really am. And as a mother, he's my son and he did that and that makes me feel quite ashamed." She said the stabbing could have been prevented if her son's paranoid schizophrenia had been taken more seriously. "It's disgusting that it takes someone to either lose their life or be stabbed before somebody thinks 'oh, hang on a minute, maybe we need to do something here'. "The mental health services in Nottingham have routinely and systematically let him down and also the victim," she added. Easom-Cooper was sentenced to a hospital order in December 2023. Nine weeks before Easom-Cooper's attack, Junior Dietlin stabbed five "complete strangers" over a weekend in Nottingham and Mansfield in February 2023. In what a prosecutor described as "a most odd and extraordinary case", Dietlin stabbed five men once in the right bicep and then ran away in separate attacks. One of the men stabbed was former police officer Keith Grafton, who was walking home from a pub in Mansfield. "Suddenly, [there was] a quick thump on my right arm... I know I've been stabbed straight away because I felt the knife going into my skin," the 71-year-old said. Keith says his attacker then ran off before he could "get anywhere near him". He said although the attack did not leave any lasting injuries, he was now "very wary" about going out late at night. Dietlin was sentenced to a hospital order, but Keith says he was "disappointed" Dietlin did not receive a prison sentence. The BBC has seen a report conducted by the trust into its contact with Dietlin. It said during a four-week stay at Highbury Hospital in June 2022, Dietlin was involved in violent incidents with staff and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The report said his family "could not express the wish that he remain in hospital a while longer". It added that, after his discharge, he took his medication "very irregularly". The family, the report added, "felt they were in a good position to observe subtle changes" in Dietlin's behaviour "that indicated he was unwell", but when community staff visited, they concluded there were "no signs of psychosis". Dietlin stabbed his first victim on 8 February 2023, and the report said he was visited by staff for a medication drop the next day. On 11 and 12 February, he stabbed four more people. Two weeks after, the trust conducted an "initial management review", from which they "did not identify any learning", according to the report. In a statement, the trust said these reviews are "completed straightaway to establish if there is any immediate learning while the full investigation is being completed". Earlier this year, an NHS England commissioned review into Calocane's care found major failings by the trust. Dietlin's incident was highlighted among 15 in that report of patients "either under the current care of the trust or who had been discharged from the trust, perpetrating serious violence towards members of the community" between 2019 and 2023. The independent review concluded the trust has an "absence of a robust approach to risk management". Keith Grafton said he did not know Dietlin's history of mental health issues, nor that he had been previously sectioned. He believes the decision to discharge his attacker into the community was "a big failing" by the trust, whom he blames for what happened to him. "If they'd done their job properly, then it wouldn't have happened," he added. Nottingham was brought to a standstill on 13 June 2023 in the wake of the attacks carried out by Calocane, who was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024. He had been sectioned four times in under two years before his attacks, but was discharged by the trust because he "disengaged" from its community mental health team in September 2022. It meant there was no contact between Calocane and mental health services, or his GP, for about nine months before the killings. Details of Calocane's medical records were revealed in a BBC Panorama documentary and the NHS commissioned report, which also stated that "the system got it wrong" with the triple killer. Shelly said she felt the missed opportunities in Calocane's care mirrored her son's experience. She added: "When I became aware of the facts, I thought that could have so easily have been Josef... I just remember thinking 'you know what? I'm glad he's in hospital'. "Those poor people had their lives cut short in such hideous ways for no reason, just because we're not putting proper time and effort into making sure that people are well enough to walk the streets." Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said the BBC's findings show that had the trust learned lessons from Dietlin and Easom-Cooper, then Calocane's killings could have been prevented. "Their failings were failure to listen to the families, failure to watch the person... and the failures to protect both the patient and then the public by discharging them far too early when they are too ill," she said. Neil Hudgell, a solicitor representing the families of Calocane's victims, said the BBC's findings showed "that very little ever resonates as it should with mental health trusts, and potentially had they learned effectively enough over the years, the events of 13 June 2023 would not have happened". "The families continue to rage at the incredibly sad and needless loss of the lives of their much-missed loved ones," he added. In a statement, Dr Sue Elcock, deputy chief executive and executive medical director at the NHS trust, said: "I want to reassure people that following any serious incident, we carry out an investigation in order to identify any areas for learning and improvement. "We apologise to those affected for any aspects of our care that were not of the high standard our patients deserve." The statement added the trust had "a more robust patient discharge policy and a sharper focus on assessing and managing any risks patients may pose to others". Dr Elcock added: "We have made significant changes to improve family engagement, and the involvement of patients and their families and our family liaison team is included in all considerations." On Thursday, the government confirmed the public inquiry into the attacks was under way, and will report back within two years with recommendations to prevent similar incidents. 8 February 2023: Junior Dietlin stabs his first victim close to his home in Nottingham 11 and 12 February 2023: Dietlin stabs four other strangers in separate attacks 9 April 2023: A worshipper is stabbed outside a church in Nottingham by Josef Easom-Cooper 11 April 2023: Easom-Cooper is charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent 13 June 2023: Valdo Calocane stabs to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, and seriously injures Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski in Nottingham December 2023: Easom-Cooper is sentenced to a hospital order 25 January 2024: Calocane is given a hospital order after admitting manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and attempted murder 12 April 2024: Dietlin is detained indefinitely under hospital order Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Nottingham attacks survivors 'deserve answers too' Nottingham attacks survivors speak out for first time 'My nephew killed my brother - but I've forgiven him' Man stalked and stabbed five 'complete strangers' Man charged after Easter Sunday church stabbing Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
