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System change is drug user’s legacy
UNEMPLOYED mechanic Peter Adam had a dream of beating his drug habit before his 65th birthday.
But, after missing an appointment with his key worker – something he had never done in his life – he was found dead at home, at the age of 60, alone, having not been seen for several days.
At a St Pancras inquest last Tuesday deputy coroner Andrew Walker ruled Mr Adam, of Georgiana Street, Camden Town, died of natural causes in October.
But Mr Walker questioned Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust policy, after staff failed to chase up Mr Adam’s uncharacteristic absence when he missed the appointment.
The court heard the Trust had since changed the system to ensure missed appointments were followed up.
Coroner Mr Walker told Mr Adam’s daughter Siobhan, the policy change was her father’s “legacy”, saying: “It must be the responsibility of that agency to ensure a patient is looked after and safe, so that, in fact is Mr Adam’s legacy. The system has changed and I’m comforted by the fact that this will not happen again.”
Key worker Kevin Darbyshire, said he had worked with Mr Adam for 10 years, and would give him methadone prescriptions.
He said: “He recently had chemotherapy for lymphoma. We kept regular phone contact or he’d come in once a month if he wanted to talk to me. By his 65th birthday, he wanted to be drug free.
“He was due to come in on September 28 and I was off on sick leave. I would have been surprised not to see him because in all the years I have known him he’s never missed an appointment.”
Mr Darbyshire said no cover staff would have followed up Mr Adam’s failure to attend but that he would have done so himself had he not been off work.
PC Karen Miles-Holdaway said officers were called to Georgiana Street by a neighbour who hadn’t seen Mr Adam for eight days. Police had to force the door open. They found Mr Adam’s body behind the front door.
Coroner Mr Walker said: “We can say Mr Adam died of a natural disease but we can’t say what that disease was. Because of his particular medical background he was at risk of sudden death.”
A spokeswoman for the mental health trust said: “There is now a system in place in Camden drug services.”
ROISIN GADELRAB
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