Our response to CQC special review of mental health services at Nottingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report highlighting the fundamental failures in Valdo Calocane’s mental health care, which contributed to the tragic deaths of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber, and Ian Coates last summer.

Brian Dow, deputy chief executive, Rethink Mental Illness said:

“Our thoughts today remain with the families and loved ones of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates, plus the wider community in Nottingham which was affected by this appalling tragedy. 

"The heartbreaking cost of the unacceptable failures in the care and treatment of Valdo Calocane rightly sparked an urgent review, and the recommendations published today must be implemented without delay. There were multiple opportunities for mental health services to intervene, and it’s shocking to learn of the errors and misjudgements in his care.

“Services must work together and take concerted action to implement the recommendations from this review and ensure no one falls through the gaps. We should be under no illusion as to the immense pressure services are under to deliver care and treatment to people severely affected by mental illness and where more resource is required, it must be provided.

"It’s vital that we stand united in our efforts to prevent this from happening again and also ensure people living with mental illness do not face greater isolation and stigmatisation because of this terrible incident.”