Mental health patient not checked for three hours

A man who was found dead while under the care of a mental health facility was left unchecked for three hours, an inquest has heard.

Henok Zaid Gebrsslasie was found unresponsive in his room at the Caludon Centre in Coventry on 12 August 2021.

The 23-year-old was meant to be checked every 15 minutes by carers, but the specified Level 2 observations did not happen on the afternoon of his death, a jury at his inquest was told.

He had been admitted to the facility on 2 August after telling police officers and medical staff he wanted to kill others as well as himself.

Mr Gebrsslasie had fled his native Eritrea as a child, arriving in the UK in 2020.

At the time of his death, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, which runs the facility, had been trialling technology called Oxevision, which had captured events surrounding his death.

Data and video retrieved from the system formed part of a West Midlands Police investigation into his death.

Giving evidence on Monday, investigating officer DC Nikki McMurray from the force said Mr Gebrsslasie had last had an interaction with a student nurse at about 13:55 BST on the day of his death.

Staff were then seen entering his room at 17:05 after an alarm was raised, the jury heard.

His treatment at the centre had previously included antipsychotic drugs following episodes of violence, the court was told.

He also spent some time in seclusion and was issued with rip-proof clothing.

On 5 August he absconded from the hospital before being picked up from his home by officers who saw he had a knife, the court heard, with jurors told he stated he wanted to hurt himself.

The inquest at Coventry Council House continues.

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