GP criticised after patient's overdose death

An inquest into Mark Smith's death was held at Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford

A GP surgery has been criticised for the amount of sedatives it prescribed to a patient who used them to take his own life.

Mark Smith, 50, died at home in Harlow, Essex, on 5 March 2024, after combining two prescription drugs with a significant intake of alcohol.

A coroner said Addison House Surgery in the town had given him "unnecessarily excessive quantities" of medication when considering his background of addiction.

The practice said it would consider the coroner's findings "very carefully", adding staff were "deeply saddened" by Mr Smith's death.

Paramedics attended Mr Smith's home in Church End for about two-and-a-half hours on the day before his fatal overdose.

They were called by family members who were concerned he had overdosed on prescription drugs.

Another crew attended later that day after Mr Smith threatened to take his own life, Essex coroner Sean Horstead wrote in a Prevention of Future Deaths report.

Mr Smith was not taken to hospital and he was found dead the following day by his son.

Addison House Surgery said it would examine the coroner's findings "very carefully"

In his report, Mr Horstead said the GP practice admitted it had no system to prevent vulnerable patients from stockpiling medicines.

Mr Horstead said he could not be certain Mr Smith intended to take his life when he "combined the fatal quantities" of prescription drugs and alcohol.

Failures to review the risk of "continued prescribing of unnecessarily excessive quantities" of drugs "probably contributed more than minimally" to Mr Smith's death, he wrote.

The practice, based in Hamstel Road, was given until 19 November to set out how it would make improvements.

Responding to Mr Horstead's report, a spokesman for the practice said: "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences continue to be with Mark's family and loved ones during this difficult time.

"We have received the coroner's report and will now take time to consider the findings and recommendations very carefully and will respond to the coroner and the family within the required timescale."

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