University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment to a teenage girl who died after running from her ward. Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, died on hospital grounds at Worthing Hospital on March 20, 2022, after absconding while under mental health care.
The trust exposed Ellame to significant risk of "avoidable harm" by not having adequate guidance for staff when patients abscond, Brighton Magistrates' Court heard on Monday. She had been under 24-hour one-to-one supervision by a registered mental health nurse when she ran into the hospital grounds.
Policy failures led to confusion
The nurse supervising Ellame did not immediately follow her due to "confusion" about procedures, the court heard. Instead, she alerted other staff because she had been told during handover not to follow absconding patients.
Prosecuting for the Care Quality Commission, James Marsland said the trust failed to provide safe care "by not doing everything that was reasonably practicable". He explained there was "no adequate guidance to staff to follow a patient seen to abscond from the ward".
Inappropriate ward placement
Ellame was on an acute ward at Worthing Hospital because no appropriate tier four bed was available for her risk level. The prosecution accepted the trust was "in a difficult position" as no immediately available alternative existed when admitting her to Bluefin Ward.
The high demand for such specialist beds is recognised as a national issue, the court heard. Ellame would not usually have been on the trust's ward, but Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, who were assessing her condition, lacked capacity to provide an adequate bed.
Family devastation and institutional response
Police found Ellame later that evening close to the edge of hospital grounds, where she died despite CPR attempts. Her mother, Nancy Ford-Dunn, described her as a "loving and supportive big sister" who loved art and dancing.
In her victim impact statement, Nancy Ford-Dunn said: "She was loved so very deeply, we miss her more than words can express. Our family will never be whole again, wherever we go and wherever we go there is an Ellame-shaped hole in the world."
Chief nurse Maggie Davies acknowledged the trust's responsibility, saying: "We had a responsibility to protect her while she was in our care, and we offer our heartfelt apologies for not being able to do that." The trust has since improved its missing person policy and training.
The NHS Trust faces a substantial fine and will be sentenced on November 26.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
