Hospital failings continued after Alice Figueiredo death leaked documents show

MRPMWoodman
November 10, 2025
0
8 min read

Hospital failings continued after Alice Figueiredo death leaked documents show

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Staff and Observation Failings on the Ward

A former patient who was on Hepworth ward at the same time as Alice Figueiredo shared her experiences. Known here as Jenny, she formed a close friendship with Alice. She described how Alice provided emotional support, including morning hugs to help her cope. However, she also witnessed repeated lapses in staff duties. Observation checks were often not carried out properly.

Jenny noted that staff members responsible for observations were frequently distracted, such as by using their phones. Important observation records, which help clinicians assess patient wellbeing, were sometimes falsified. These practices undermined safety protocols. They contributed to an environment where risks were not adequately monitored. Such shortcomings represented clear examples of medical negligence in daily care delivery.

Over the decade since Alice's death, former patients, families, and ex-staff have raised similar concerns about NELFT services. These include poor management, inadequate record-keeping, flawed risk assessments, and persistent staff shortages. Issues have appeared in both hospital and community settings. Coroners have repeatedly criticized the trust on these grounds.

Broader Trust Issues and Accountability

NELFT and former ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa faced legal proceedings. An Old Bailey jury concluded they had not done enough to keep Alice safe. Sentencing was due shortly after the article. Aninakwa, who continued working for NELFT, appealed his conviction for failure to take reasonable care for health and safety. He was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter.

A former senior support worker described deteriorating conditions over his 15-year tenure. Mandatory reviews for patients were sometimes skipped, leaving individuals in crisis for extended periods. Feedback to management was often ignored. The trust's patient risk "traffic light" system was frequently inaccurate or outdated. In one case, a low-risk patient later became involved in a serious incident involving a weapon. These systemic problems pointed to ongoing medical negligence in oversight and planning.

The trust acknowledged historical workforce pressures affecting care quality across the NHS. It has invested heavily in staff recruitment and retention. NELFT expressed regret if any staff felt unsupported. It apologized for Alice's death and committed to using her memory to drive positive change. The trust continues working to provide safer, more compassionate care.

Calls for National Change

Alice's family has campaigned for justice and transparency over ten years. They stressed the need for safe, compassionate care for vulnerable people. Urgent action is required not only at NELFT but across all mental health services nationwide. Campaigners echoed the need to prevent unnecessary escalations through better learning and openness.

Categories: Mental Health, NHS Failings, Patient Safety
Keywords: medical negligence, leaked documents, bin bags, under-reporting, observations, NELFT, Goodmayes Hospital, self-harm

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Hospital failings continued after Alice Figueiredo death, leaked documents show

Tragic Death and Immediate Context

In July 2015, Alice Figueiredo took her own life at Goodmayes Hospital on the Hepworth ward. The hospital was managed by North East London Mental Health Trust (NELFT). She had previously attempted self-harm using plastic or bin bags on 18 separate occasions. Most of these incidents involved items taken from the same shared toilet on the ward. On the 19th attempt, she succeeded in ending her life.

Just four months later, in November 2015, another young woman on the same Hepworth ward attempted self-harm using a bin bag. She survived the incident. This event raised serious questions about whether lessons had been learned following the earlier tragedy. Leaked documents from an internal NELFT inquiry, seen by the BBC, revealed these concerning similarities.

The internal inquiry was commissioned after complaints from Alice's parents regarding the care provided. The resulting report was never made public. However, it highlighted patterns that pointed to ongoing issues. These included failures in basic safety measures. Such lapses contributed to repeated instances of medical negligence on the ward.

Evidence of Under-Reporting and Missed Opportunities

The leaked report pointed to significant under-reporting of incidents. During Alice Figueiredo's time on the ward, 81 incidents or near misses should have been logged on the NHS Datix system. Only 14 of them, or about 17.2%, were actually recorded. This poor recording meant important risks were not properly identified or addressed. Opportunities to manage patients more safely were therefore missed.

In the November 2015 case involving the other young woman, similar problems existed. Of 45 self-harm events linked to her, 27 were not logged on the system. This included the bin bag attempt itself. The lack of proper documentation again prevented timely interventions. These patterns demonstrated a systemic failure that amounted to medical negligence in patient risk management.

The inquiry report described a ward environment with very unwell patients. There were ongoing staff shortages, particularly among nurses. Relationships between key staff members, including the ward manager and consultant psychiatrist, were strained. All support workers assigned to observe Alice one-to-one were temporary agency staff. These factors compounded the risks present.

Continued Risks and Family Distress

Alice's mother, Jane Figueiredo, described the November incident as deeply distressing. She noted that bin bags should have been removed immediately after her daughter's death. Instead, patients continued to face unnecessary risks. The persistence of such hazards four months later highlighted a failure to act decisively. This ongoing exposure reflected broader issues of medical negligence within the service.

Mental health campaigners expressed alarm at the revelations. They emphasized the need for a culture of openness to learn from serious incidents. Without rapid changes, the same dangers could repeat. The leaked documents underscored that improvements had been too slow or incomplete.

NELFT has since stated that all bin bags have been removed from wards. This aligns with national guidance. The trust also committed to learning from every incident and improving care continuously. It has worked to enhance record-keeping and case management processes.

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Medical Negligence

Medical negligence, also known as clinical negligence (particularly in the UK), occurs when a healthcare professional provides substandard care that falls below the reasonable standard expected of a competent practitioner in similar circumstances, directly causing harm or injury to a patient.To succeed in a claim, four key elements (often referred to as the “4 Ds”) must typically be proven:

Duty of care — A doctor-patient or similar professional relationship existed, establishing that the healthcare provider owed the patient a duty to provide competent treatment.
Breach of duty (or deviation from the standard of care) — The care provided was negligent, meaning it did not meet the accepted professional standards. This is assessed objectively, often with input from independent medical experts, rather than requiring “gold standard” treatment.
Causation — The breach directly caused (or significantly contributed to) the patient’s injury or worsened condition. The harm must be more likely than not attributable to the substandard care.
Damage — The patient suffered actual harm, which may include physical injury, psychological distress, financial loss, additional medical needs, or reduced quality of life.

Common examples include misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, incorrect medication, failure to obtain informed consent, or inadequate aftercare. Not every poor outcome or medical mistake constitutes negligence—only those deviating from reasonable professional standards and causing avoidable harm qualify.In the UK, claims are pursued through the civil justice system, often against the NHS or private providers, with the goal of securing compensation to address losses and support recovery. Medical negligence cases can be complex, requiring expert evidence and strict time limits for claims.

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