Peter Wrighton murder: Understaffing at trust that treated dog walker killer

A review of a mental health trust which treated an ex-soldier who killed a dog walker found issues with understaffing.

Alexander Palmer had been cared for by Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) before stabbing 83-year-old Peter Wrighton 45 times in August 2017.

Palmer's had a "desire to kill strangers" and "dog walkers seemed to be a particular bugbear of his".

A follow-up review into the service which cared for him said there were long waits for inpatient beds.

NSFT said it "fully" welcomed the review.

Palmer's murder trial heard he had told hospital staff he intended to hurt someone.

He attacked Mr Wrighton from behind in woodland near East Harling, Norfolk, before dumping his body under brambles.

Palmer was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years after being convicted of murder.

At the time of the killing, Palmer was not under the care of NSFT but had three previous episodes of care between April 2014 and March 2017.

The health trust had been warned by Palmer's parents that he was collecting knives and not taking his medication.

A previous review found "weaknesses" in the handling of Palmer's last episode of care and Mr Wrighton's granddaughter said the fact his doctor was not at his discharge meeting seemed a "fundamental oversight".

A further review was commissioned in early 2022 to find out what would happen if a similar case emerged now.

It found elements of good practice, including "examples of very good discharge letters".

But in nearly one third of the cases reviewed, no letter of discharge to the GP within 72 hours was found "or, in the majority of these cases, this only offered minimal information that did not meet the minimum standards".

It also found that "the service budget and staffing levels are below recommended levels", while "long waits for inpatient beds... may mean that the service is holding higher-risk patients on their caseloads".

Cath Byford, deputy chief executive and chief people officer at NSFT, said: "We fully welcome this review.

"Our early intervention team has recently worked with the independent organisation that undertook it to review the impact of the recommendations it makes.

"Any outstanding improvements required are included within the service development plan.

"Actions to date include significantly improving many elements of our documentation, as well as making sure we involve patients, their families and carers when planning for discharge from our services."

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