Apology and payout to family of Solihull man found drowned

Gary Parfitt was allowed to leave The Oleaster unit in Birmingham in 2017

A mental health trust has apologised to the family of a man found drowned behind a psychiatric hospital.

The body of Gary Parfitt, 41, from Solihull, was found in 2017, days after leaving The Oleaster unit in Birmingham while awaiting an assessment.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said care "fell below" what he was entitled to expect.

The family's legal team has secured an undisclosed settlement, Irwin Mitchell said.

It stated this had been divided between Mr Parfitt's children.

At an inquest held last year into the death, coroner Emma Brown gave a narrative conclusion and called for a review of mental health practices.

The proceedings heard the fork-lift driver, from Kingshurst, told staff at the unit he wanted to go home and photos revealed how a nurse showed him how to exit the building by pushing a button.

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The trust said it has taken a number of steps to make care safer

Staff did not attempt to detain him under the Mental Health Act and dialled 101 instead of 999 when they realised he had departed.

His body was found nearly a week later.

A report published by the trust found a range of issues in his care, including that the wait for an assessment was a major factor in his decision to leave, Irwin Mitchell said.

Lawyers stated that, in a letter to the family, trust chief executive Roisin Fallon-Williams said "the trust has accepted that the standard of care provided to your son fell below a level which he was entitled to expect".

"It is a matter of deep regret that this was the case and on behalf of all those involved in his care I offer my sincere apologies," the letter added.

In a statement, the trust said it has taken a number of steps to make care safer.

"A new protocol for admission to our psychiatric decisions unit (PDU) now provides clearer guidance for staff about all of the criteria to consider before bringing a patient to the unit."

It added: "There has also been specific additional training for staff. This includes the development of improved liaison between our teams based at different hospital sites and further training to help ensure all staff at our PDU can confidently and appropriately escalate any growing concerns about service users awaiting a Mental Health Act assessment."