My son should be here, says mum after NHS errors

The mother of a man who died of an accidental overdose after he was left without care for months says her son "should be here" with his family.

James Southern, 41, died in May 2023 after being discharged from Highbury Hospital, a Nottingham mental health facility run by the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

His mother, Norma Southern, has spoken out after receiving a letter of apology following an inquest in October which highlighted "errors" in Mr Southern's care.

The trust said it was working to address issues raised by the coroner to improve its patients' experience.

Mr Southern - known as Jimmy - had a history of mental health conditions, and was suffering from pain and anxiety after being injured in a motorbike accident in 2002.

An inquest heard the trust should have allocated the father of three a care co-ordinator when he left the hospital in September 2022, but did not due to "errors in his records".

The trust apologised following the inquest but has since sent an apology to Mr Southern's family "in black and white", Mrs Southern said.

The letter to his family, seen by the BBC, offered "sincere and most heartfelt apologies for the mistakes that were made in the course of your son's treatment which ultimately contributed to his passing".

While the letter gave Mrs Southern some "relief", the 67-year-old said her son should "be here today, with [her] and with his family".

Mrs Southern said the family "knew something was wrong" before her son died and he was asking for the trust's help.

"There was nobody checking on him three months before he died. He wasn't looked after," she said.

Mr Southern had "such a lot of life left him" prior to his death, his mum said.

He was engaged and had plans with his fiancee, and his family had "never seen him so happy".

He was due to be married on 4 December but instead, on that day, his loved ones will be commemorating him.

"He wasn't just somebody who was known to have a mental health disorder, there were many other facets to Jimmy," Mrs Southern said.

"He loved motorbikes, cars, quad-biking, axe-throwing. He loved his children dearly and he was a very proud granddad.

"If those failings can be rectified - if it saves one more family from going through what we've been through - that will be well worth it to me, because it has been horrendous."

Disciplinary proceedings were launched against a clinician after it came to light that Mr Southern's records were amended after his death.

The matter was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) watchdog.

A spokesperson for the NMC said it was unable to share any information.

The NHS trust has been under scrutiny following the Nottingham attacks in 2023.

A review published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August found "a series of errors, omissions and misjudgements" in triple killer Valdo Calocane's care.

Other problems involving the trust include the death of patient at high-security psychiatric hospital, Rampton Hospital - which was rated inadequate earlier this year - and the dismissal of staff members over serious misconduct at Highbury Hospital.

Diane Hull, executive director nursing, AHPs and quality at the trust, said: "On behalf of the trust I once again offer our sincere condolences and apologies to James's family and friends for their loss.

"We recognise that there were aspects of the care delivered to James that were not of the standard our patients deserve and for that we are truly sorry.

"When we became aware of the amendments made to clinical records we referred the clinician involved to their regulatory body, the NMC, and began a disciplinary process.

"We are working to address the other issues raised by the coroner to improve the experience for patients now and in future."

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