A special review has been ordered to examine the NHS trust that was treating a 32-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia and mental illness, who tragically stabbed three individuals to death, including a British-Indian teenager, in Nottingham last year.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said a rapid review of Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust will be completed before the end of March; the BBC has reported.
Valdo Calocane was last week sentenced to be “indefinitely” detained at the Ashworth Hospital for killing British-Indian Grace O’Malley-Kumar, her friend Barnaby Webber, both 19, as well as Ian Coates, 65, last June.
Calocane had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and the families of the victims have questioned the care he received before the killings.
Announcing the CQC review, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said, “Our mental health services must ensure both the care of patients and the safety of the public.
“I hope the review provides the families and public with some much-needed answers, and that it helps the trust to improve the standard of mental health care in Nottinghamshire.”
The attorney general is considering whether judges should review his sentence.
The NHS England has said it is planning to order a separate Independent Mental Health Homicide Review into Calocane’s contact with mental health services, which is expected to take many months to complete.
Chris Dzikiti, director of mental health at the CQC, said, “We will conduct a rapid review into mental health services in Nottingham to understand whether there are any practical actions which can be taken to improve the quality of services and ensure people receive safe and effective care.
“We will begin this work immediately, aiming to report to the secretary of state before the end of March.”
Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust has been contacted for comment.
(PTI)
