Patient took 'lethal' dose of unprescribed drug

Will Giles was found unresponsive in August 2023

A former school head boy who was "loved by everyone" died at a mental health hospital after taking a lethal dose of unprescribed morphine, an inquest heard.

Black Country Coroners' Court was told Will Giles, 22, was found unresponsive by staff at Bushey Fields Hospital in Dudley on the morning of 23 August 2023.

A tribute read on behalf of his family said "our lives have been torn apart", and urged Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to "learn from the tragic event and ensure it can never happen again".

The trust said it would give its response on the conclusion of the inquest, which is expected to last three days.

Dr Swapna Ghosh, a consultant pathologist who conducted a post mortem on Mr Giles, told the court he had died from morphine toxicity.

Forensic toxicologist Hannah Church said there was 0.33mg of the opioid per litre of Mr Giles' blood, which was "potentially lethal" to someone who was not tolerant to the drug.

There was no evidence of a prescription for morphine, or any previous use of it, she added.

Consultant physician Dr Nigel Langford said that the combined effects of the prescribed and non-prescribed drugs the patient had been taking had contributed to his death.

'Living nightmare'

A statement read out on behalf of Mr Giles' mother Lisa Venables said that in the days prior to his death, he told her he was "in a living nightmare" and "I need to get out of this place".

She added she believed he had been bringing illicit drugs into the hospital before he died, and criticised the hospital for not carrying out searches on patients.

Kelly Dixon, assistant coroner for the Black Country, was told that Mr Giles had struggled with his mental health for a decade, but he had deteriorated following the deaths of his grandmother in November 2022 and the subsequent suicide of his father the following month.

He was admitted to Bushey Fields Hospital, an adult mental health facility, on 26 July 2023, four weeks before his death.

His family said he was a "young man desperate to live" who loved the outdoors, had worked as a car mechanic and a chef, and would have liked a career in the military.