Patricia Genders
28 Oct 2025 · Coroner Nick Armstrong · West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
This report repeats 1 earlier warning. See the linked reports.
The coroner's concerns
1. use of A&E space for mental health crisis
“despite significant ongoing efforts by the various partner agencies (particularly the hospital trust (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust ("UHS")), the trust making most of the mental health provision in this area (Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust ("SPFT")), the local authorities (West Sussex and Brighton and Hove) and the police, there is still far too much use of A&E space for those in mental health crisis, pending finding a dedicated mental health placement”
2. lack of security in A&E
“A&E departments cannot be made fully secure. People are coming and going; doors cannot always be monitored; and it is harder to restrain someone in a relatively public space and with fewer mental health practitioners around”
3. patient absconding from hospital
“Tricia was able, quite easily, to abscond”
Linked reports
Identical hazardConfidence 0.92 · high
Earlier report
“cannot invoke the Doctors or Nurses holding powers under Section 5(2) Mental Health Act (Section 5(4) for nurses).”
This report
“It is now not possible to hold someone under s.3 at the hospital”