Girl died after being left alone by support worker, inquest hears
A 14-year-old girl who was supposedly under constant supervision at a children’s mental health unit died after being left alone by her support worker, an inquest has heard.
Ruth Szymankiewicz was a patient at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire, where she was being treated for an eating disorder. She died at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in February 2022, after an incident of self-harm.
Ruth’s parents told an inquest into her death at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court she was “the kind of daughter you could only hope for”.
The couple, who are both doctors, described her as someone who “wanted to change the world”. Ruth had a “huge heart and deep passion,” they said.
Ruth was meant to have one-to-one observations at Huntercombe Hospital, but the jury heard how her support worker, Ebo Acheampong, finished his shift and left Ruth on her own for 15 minutes without finding a colleague to take over.
He subsequently fled to Ghana and hasn’t been seen since. It’s now known he had used fake documents and had been hired under a false name.
In an emotional statement read to the inquest, her mother Kate said they were “concerned” Ruth was sent to Huntercombe as it had received negative CQC inspection reports, particularly regarding safety and leadership.
She told the jury, “We wish that we had fought harder to stop her going” to that hospital.
Despite raising repeated concerns about her care on the paediatric intensive care unit, the couple said they weren’t listened to, and Ruth’s condition deteriorated during her time there.
Her mum described how Ruth’s care felt “fragmented”, and how, “There was no real plan to help Ruth get better.”
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Huntercombe Hospital, which is also known as Taplow Manor, was shut down in 2023. The unit was the subject of an investigation by Sky News and The Independent, which revealed accusations about the overuse of restraint and medication, along with inadequate staffing and training.
More than 50 former patients from Huntercombe shared their experiences about the hospital, which was run by the Huntercombe Group, now part of Active Care Group.
The inquest into Ruth’s death is expected to last nearly two weeks.
Ruth’s mother ended her statement saying: “We hope that the process of unpicking her story might in some way influence the care that other children receive in the future.”
