Vulnerable man died of drug abuse, Norfolk inquest told

Leo Jacobs who died of an overdose had not been visited by carers for eight weeks

A man with paranoid schizophrenia who died from a heroin overdose had not been visited by health carers for eight weeks, an inquest heard.

Leo Jacobs, 39, died in November 2016 whilst under the care of Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust (NSFT).

His mother claimed her son had not received proper care from the trust.

"I am not convinced that what happened to my son will not be happening to other people in the future," Sheila Preston said outside the court.

Mr Jacobs' mother Sheila Preston said her son was vulnerable

The inquest at Norfolk Coroner's Court was told Mr Jacobs was found dead in his chair at his flat in William White Place, Norwich, and had been smoking a large quantity of heroin.

He was described as a victim of 'cuckooing' - where drug dealers take over the homes of vulnerable people in exchange for free drugs.

His care coordinator Dawn Lark said she had a good relationship with Mr Jacobs but was not aware of his home being cuckooed as he had always denied being an addict.

She told the inquest she thought a face-to-face visit once a month was appropriate for him.

But before he died, Mr Jacobs had not been seen by a carer for eight weeks.

The health trust had altered procedures since Leo Jacobs' death

Prior to his death the NSFT had undergone a re-organisation which saw Stephen Taylor taking over responsibility for him and 40 other vulnerable people.

One third of those cases were deemed high risk but Mr Jacobs, though a priority, was not one of them, the inquest heard.

Mr Jacobs died while Mr Taylor was off for two weeks.

Senior coroner, Jacqueline Lake concluded this was a "drug related" death and that Mr Jacobs was the victim of what she called "the despicable practice of cuckooing".

She added she was satisfied the trust had made real changes since.