Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust to investigate Victoria Nye's care (From Daily Echo)

Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust to investigate Victoria Nye's care

3:47pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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AN INDEPENDENT investigation is to be carried out into the death of a Southampton woman discharged from a mental health unit despite warnings she might kill herself, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust’s top doctor says the inquiry will be carried out by experts who are not connected to the psychiatric block where Victoria Nye was treated before she plunged to her death from her 13th floor flat.

As reported, the trust will hold an internal inquiry after Victoria, 22, was found dead after falling 100ft from her balcony of Dumbletons Towers in Thornhill, just hours after she left the Department of Psychiatry (DoP) at the Royal South Hants Hospital.

The trust’s medical director Dr Huw Stone, last night confirmed that an independent chairman, psychiatrist and nurse from outside the DoP will lead the inquiry into why she was discharged.

It comes after the Daily Echo revealed how Victoria’s father Graham Nye, made desperate pleas with staff saying that if his daughter was let go she would be dead within a matter of hours.

According to Mr Nye, Victoria, 22, had admitted herself into the DoP after accepting she needed help for her mental illness which had previously led to serious incidents of self harming and violence.

Dr Stone said: “In any serious incident we always carry out a thorough investigation into all aspects of the patient’s care.

“We have decided that because Victoria had been discharged it would be good to bring in an independent psychiatrist from outside the trust to help.

“There will also be an independent nurse from a different service in Southampton and also a chairman who is independent from the service within the trust.”

Dr Stone said the inquiry would also take in the views of Victoria’s family when investigating if it carried out its procedures correctly and they have already written to Mr Nye for his help.

Mr Nye said he welcomed the chance to take part in the investigation but remained sceptical that the inquiry would still take place behind closed doors.

“I will happily help the inquiry but I will want to make sure that it does not prevent details coming out at the coroner’s hearing later on,” he said.

“I have to be sceptical about a service which over five years has been so heavily criticised, and that was able to let my daughter go despite warnings and obvious signs that she would harm herself,” he added.

National mental health charity SANE last night added its support for an investigation into Victoria’s death.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of SANE, said: “SANE finds it unforgivable that people in distress can be discharged from hospital before they are ready to leave.

“Despite all the money invested in mental health services in recent years, people who are suicidal still find themselves with nowhere to go and, it appears, no one in the system who cares.

“Another opportunity to save a life seems to have been missed.”