Deaths of three girls occurred at the hands of NHS Trust

Home » News & Knowledge » Tragic deaths of three girls at the hands of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust

Christie Harnett, Emily Moore and Nadia Sharif all passed away whilst under the care of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust within an eight-month period between June 2019 and February 2020.

The three individuals all suffered from mental health difficulties and each died after harming themselves in the same way. All girls would have been turning 21 years old this month.

Investigations have since concluded that Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust was “unstable and overstretched” at the time. They were further criticised for failing to properly recognise the danger of each individual self-harming in the same way.

deaths of three girls

Services for children and young people are now provided by another mental health trust. West Lane Hospital in the meantime has closed.

A total of 119 ‘care and service delivery’ failures were found in various departments over the treatment provided.

In particular, in relation to Emily, it was found she had been moved to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust “entirely” on age and having no consideration for her clinical needs. Emily’s father said at the time she was moved:

“At the last meeting we had, I was actually down on my hands and knees begging, saying, ‘please do not send her to Tees, Esk and Wear Valley.”

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust have apologised and since the incidents, they have spent £8 million in investing in patient safety and recruiting a further 700 members of staff. They further may face a large fine if they are prosecuted over Christie’s death on the 21 February 2023 at Teeside Magistrates’ Court.

Margret Kitching, the chief nurse for NHS England, North East and Yorkshire, said:

“These reports make for very difficult reading and our thoughts are with the families of these three young people. We have put measures in place to protect patients while we support the trust in making the comprehensive programme of improvements needed at every level from its wards to its board room.

“Governance arrangements have been identified as a particular area of weakness and a further independent report has been commissioned to address this. There have been significant changes in the Trust’s leadership since these events took place.”

The families of Christie, Emily and Nadia all now want a public enquiry.

Tragic deaths of three girls at the hands of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust

Christie Harnett, Emily Moore and Nadia Sharif all passed away whilst under the care of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust within an eight-month period between June 2019 and February 2020.

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