Partner Of Nottinghamshire Woman Who Died After Leaving Priory Arnold Mental Health Hospital On Christmas Day Launches Legal Action

The devastated partner of a woman who died after walking out of a mental health unit on Christmas Day following ‘missed opportunities’ in her care has launched legal action.

Helen Tarry was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and admitted to the Priory Hospital in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, in December 2022.

On Christmas Day night, she followed a staff member out of a secure ward before triggering the fire alarm to unlock the doors to the building. The 52-year-old was wearing just a nightdress, gilet and slippers as she left the hospital.

Partner of Nottinghamshire woman asks medical negligence lawyers to investigate

Her body was found on a farm road the following morning. Her partner of 10 years, Howard Mather, instructed expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate Helen’s death.

An inquest jury in February this year, identified several ‘missed opportunities’ in Helen’s care which contributed to her death.  These were inadequate communication, risk management, incident reporting and training including a lack of understanding proper policy and the failure to follow policies in place.

Howard, 53, has now launched legal action against The Priory. He is using World Suicide Prevention Day to campaign for better mental health care across the country.

Rosie Charlton is the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Howard.

Expert Opinion

“We are approaching the second anniversary of Helen’s death and trying to come to terms with her loss and the circumstances surrounding it have been incredibly difficult for Howard.

“The inquest identified missed opportunities in Helen’s care and Howard continues to have serious concerns about what happened to Helen.

“All he wants is to ensure all possible issues in Helen’s care are identified and lessons are learned to ensure the highest standards of care are upheld to benefit other families.

“People with mental health issues are some of the most vulnerable in society and should receive the highest standard of care and support.” Rosie Charlton

Mental health: Helen Tarry's story

Prior to her death, Helen worked as a systems support officer for Nottinghamshire County Council.

She began experiencing difficulties with her mental health in late 2022. By that December, she was struggling with paranoia and anxiety, and tried to run away on more than one occasion.

On 13 December, Helen was detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and moved to the Priory Hospital Arnold.

Following Helen’s death, the Priory Hospital Arnold made several changes to how its services are run.  The health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, recently upgraded the hospital’s rating from the lowest of ‘inadequate’ to ‘good.’

While Howard welcomes the higher rating, he says more still needs to be done to ensure patient safety.

Howard pays tribute to partner of 10 years

Howard said: “Helen and I started dating in 2013 and were planning to get married in the future.  Our relationship meant everything to me and to this day I still struggle with losing her so suddenly and unexpectedly.

“When she began to show signs of distress and disorientation, I knew something wasn’t right, and her condition deteriorated so quickly. When she went into the Priory, I believed she was in the best place to get better.

“Sadly, that Christmas Day was the last time I saw her. Being told Helen was gone was the moment my whole life fell apart. To think that she could still be here had she been given the right standard of care is unbearable.

“To hear that the CQC says the hospital has improved is a step in the right direction but it’s important not to get complacent. Helen was incredibly vulnerable and needed a great deal of help, which I feel she didn’t get, and I wouldn’t want it happening to anyone else. I don’t want Helen’s death to have been in vain”.

World Suicide Prevention Day is on 10 September.

Find out more about our expertise in supporting families affected by the death of a loved one following mental health care failings at our dedicated failure to prevent suicide section. Alternatively, to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100.