Ruth Szymankiewicz: Death of teenager at intensive psychiatric care unit ruled as unlawful killing

The death of a teenage girl who was left unsupervised at a children’s mental health ward by an agency worker using a fake ID, has been ruled as an unlawful killing.

Ruth Szymankiewicz, 14, died at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on 14 February 2022 while she was a patient at Huntercombe Hospital – also known as Taplow Manor – in Berkshire.

She had been left unsupervised by an agency worker before her death, an inquest jury at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court heard.

Ruth was being treated for an eating disorder at Huntercombe Hospital and had been placed under strict one-to-one observation when she was left on her own by the member of staff responsible for watching her.

The 14-year-old was able to shut herself in her bedroom at the hospital’s psychiatric intensive care unit – also known as Thames ward – where she self-harmed.

She died two days later.

The agency worker responsible for watching Ruth – a man then known as Ebo Acheampong – had never worked in a psychiatric hospital environment before coming to Huntercombe on 12 February 2022 for his first shift.

A police investigation later found he was hired by the Platinum agency – which supplied staff for Huntercombe Hospital – under a false name.

Mr Acheampong never returned to work at the hospital following Ruth’s death and fled the UK for Ghana.

The ward was missing at least half of its staff on the day Ruth, who had self harmed several times in the past, was left unsupervised, the coroner’s court heard.

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