Social services 'could have done more' for Laura - inquest

Social services “could have done more” for a woman whose body was found in a flat years after her death, a Surrey council chief has told an inquest.

Laura Winham, 41, was found at the social housing property in Woking by her mother and brother in May 2021.

Woking Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday that following a police referral in October 2017, Surrey County Council’s adult social care team called and wrote to Ms Winham offering advice about foodbanks, but did not visit the property.

Luke Addams, director of practice, assurance and safeguarding at the council, said it “could have done more”. Asked by the coroner if the council's response had been "inadequate", Mr Addams said that would be a “fair description”.

Ms Winham’s family, who have said she had schizophrenia and had twice been sectioned, believe she died in November 2017 - after her calendar entries and online food shops stopped - three-and-a-half years before her body was found.

On Wednesday, the hearing heard that police made a referral to the county council after a visit in which they found she was self-neglecting and had little food. That may have been the last time she was seen alive.

Surrey’s multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) treated the referral as an “amber” concern because “she had some food, she had some money”, Mr Addams said.

The matter was then passed onto the Woking locality team, which is part of Surrey’s adult social services.

Mr Addams said that the team attempted to call her, despite police saying the phone was out of use, adding that it was a “serious mistake”.

A letter was then sent to Ms Winham offering advice on local foodbanks, where to seek benefits support and how to contact adult social care.

The letter stated that if it did not hear from her, it would close her case within two weeks.

Mr Addams said that after the service had failed to engage with Ms Winham, it should have exercised “professional curiosity” and followed up, which could have included a home visit.

“I actually think there should have been a visit instead of a letter,” he told the court. “However, shortly after Laura's death a number of steps were taken to improve practice.”

He added that if social services were to deal with the same referral now, “within a few days I'd expect a visit”.

The court also heard on Wednesday that due to them being earmarked for demolition as part of a regeneration scheme in Sheerwater, Ms Winham was the only tenant still thought to be living at her block of flats at Devonshire Avenue as of December 2020.

But Woking Borough Council did not ramp up visits to lone tenants in the estate until late in 2021.

Following her death, Louise Strongitharm, director of communities at the council, told the court that it had taken “significant action”.

This included bringing its social housing estate back with council control after being managed by a contractor with “the aim of improving customer service” and tenancy audits to check who is in its properties, as well as on their wellbeing.

Alongside mental health issues, Ms Winham was deaf and had several health issues and had been in receipt of several benefits since 2002.

But the court heard on Wednesday that she stopped receiving disability living allowance (DLA) in 2016 after the benefit was replaced with personal independence Payments (PIP).

Ms Winham wrote to Woking Borough Council the same year, saying she had decided not to claim “because I could not cope with the invasive medical check-up”, the court heard.

Because she did not apply for a PIP claim, her DLA benefit was stopped.

Ian Barker, from the Department for Work and Pensions, told the inquest that those transferring to the new type of benefit would not have necessarily been required to undergo medical checks.

But he said there were now “a number of vulnerability checks” in place for claimants.

“We wouldn’t terminate [a] benefit until we’re aware the customer is fully aware and able to make that decision,” he said.

The hearing previously heard that Ms Winham’s gas supply was capped in January 2019 after a contractor was unable to gain access to her property to complete an annual gas safety inspection.

The inquest continues.

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