Kent NHS trust apologises for man's mental health care failures
- Published
Ben Hart, 25, took his own life in Shepherdswell, Kent, on 12 October last year
An NHS trust has apologised after a man who was given inadequate care by mental health nurses due to staff shortages took his own life.
Ben Hart, 25, died at his mother's home near Dover in October.
At the time of his death, there should have been 16 mental health care nurses available in East Kent, but there were only six on rota, an inquest heard.
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said action had been taken to address failings.
A trust spokesperson also apologised "unreservedly" to Mr Hart's family, adding: "The safety of those we care for is our utmost priority and we recognise that we fell short of that on this occasion."
Ben Hart’s mother Anna Kerley said “nobody listened” to her son
Ben was sectioned and admitted to Coleman House in Dover after an attempted suicide in 2021.
An inquest at Maidstone County Hall heard in the following months there were delays in appointments, missed opportunities for treatment and a lack of coordinated care.
Two of Mr Hart's eight carers could not be replaced due to staff shortages.
His mother Anna Kerley phoned the crisis team on 11 October and left a message, but never heard back. She phoned again the following day and requested an urgent call back.
They called back on 14 October - two days after Ben had taken his own life.
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Senior coroner Patricia Harding detailed a series of delays and missed opportunities for treatment, and highlighted staffing shortages at the trust.
"They were 10 nurses short," she said.
"Resources were significantly stretched. This shortfall endures and staffing levels at the time of his death were such that Ben was not provided with the service he should have been."
Ms Kerley said her son felt "incredibly let down" by the mental health service he received.
"Nobody listened to him. It was almost like they gave up on him," she said.
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