The much-criticized standard of hospital care for people with autism and learning disabilities in the UK’s National Health Service has been thrown into the spotlight with an inquest into Connor Sparrowhawk, who died while in care.
Connor (pictured), 18, drowned in an NHS-run short-term treatment unit in 2013. He had autism and epilepsy and drowned in a bath. A post-mortem examination revealed he had died from drowning, which was likely to have occurred as a result of an epileptic seizure. An external report considered his death ‘preventable’.
The inquest, at Oxford coroner’s court, is focusing on how his hospital care was planned. It is also looking at how risk assessments were made, the management of his epilepsy and communication with his family.
In court, questions were raised around whether Connor was appropriately observed while in the bath. The inquest heard that there was no formal logging of his bathing and that monitoring of him had been substantially reduced.
Dr Sara Ryan, Connor’s mother, and Richard Huggins, his stepfather, will both be giving evidence at the inquest.
His mother said: “We hope that the inquest will provide an opportunity to openly explore what happened to Connor and establish accountability and responsibility.”
The hearing, before Mr Darren Salter, senior coroner for Oxfordshire, and a jury will run until 16 October.
• In 2014, Autism Eye’s special report ‘When Health Care is No Care’ pointed to an investigation by Mencap into the deaths of people with learning disabilities under NHS hospital care in recent years. The report concluded that a shocking 37 per cent – more than one in three -were preventable. See our summer 2014 issue, available here.
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‘New NHS guidelines shift care provision’
‘Calls to end long-distance care’
Published: 7 October 2015
