Hospital Worker Accused in Patient’s Death Case

A court has been informed that a hospital employee is alleged to have been responsible for the death of a 22-year-old mental health patient. This occurred after the patient reportedly obtained access to items previously utilized in suicide attempts. Alice Figueiredo passed away on 7 July 2015, at Goodmayes Hospital, which is a mental health facility situated in Redbridge, north-east London. Benjamin Aninakwa, aged 53, served as the ward manager for Hepworth Ward at Goodmayes Hospital during the period of the alleged offences. He has entered a plea of not guilty to the accusations. His trial is scheduled to take place at the Old Bailey, where he will be tried concurrently with the North East London NHS Foundation Trust. Readers should be aware that this report includes content that some individuals may find upsetting. Mr Aninakwa, residing at St Francis Way, Grays, Essex, faces charges of manslaughter by gross negligence and neglecting to exercise reasonable care for the health and safety of patients within the ward. He denies these charges. Allegations state that Mr Aninakwa did not remove items from the ward that could be used for self-harm and also failed to ensure that self-harm incidents were properly recorded, reviewed, and addressed. The North East London NHS Foundation Trust denies charges of corporate manslaughter and an offense related to failing to ensure the health and safety of individuals who are not employees. It is further claimed that the trust did not offer adequate medical and mental health care and neglected to take reasonable measures to safeguard Ms Figueiredo from self-harm that could have been prevented. The jury was informed that Alice ended her life using a bin bag. During her five-month stay, she had previously attempted to use plastic bags to kill or harm herself on 18 separate occasions. Despite these incidents, the court heard that bin bags remained in use in communal areas. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said: “During her admission to the hospital in 2015, Alice was repeatedly able to attempt self-harm when she was subject to close observation from staff, but the incidents were not properly recorded.” Mr Atkinson further noted that the incident records were not adequately assessed, and her access to materials she used for self-harm was neither considered nor addressed. Jurors learned that Ms Figueiredo was described as a “bright and gifted” woman, having served as head girl at school and established a mentoring system to assist her peers. According to testimony heard in court, her family characterized her as a person cherished for her “warmth, kindness and joyful character.” Jurors were informed that her initial admission to Hepworth Ward occurred in May 2012, with diagnoses including a non-specific eating disorder and bipolar affective disorder. The proceedings are anticipated to continue for nine weeks. For those affected by the themes presented in this report, assistance and support can be accessed through the BBC Action Line. The best of BBC Radio London is available on Sounds, and BBC London can be followed on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas may be sent to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.