Mental health charity fined over care worker’s death
14:01 - 01/03/2010
Mental health charity fined over care...
Mental Health Matters Ltd have been fined £30,000 and order to pay additional costs of £20,000 after one of their young employees was attacked and killed by a service user.
The registered charity, which is based in the North East, provides support and housing services to people who suffer from mental health problems. Ashleigh Ewing had been employed by Mental Health Matters for exactly six months and was just completing her probation period when she was stabbed to death by service user Ronald Dixon on 19th May 2006.
The attack occurred when the 22-year-old support worker paid a lone visit to Mr Dixon’s home in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in October 2007 and is detained indefinitely at Rampton Secure Hospital.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to prosecute Ashleigh’s employers on the grounds that they had exposed her to obvious risks, particularly in respect of her work with Ronald Dixon, and had failed to act on various warning signs. The court heard that the charity had failed to provide Ashleigh with the level of protection that the nature of her job warranted.
Mental Health Matters pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Working alone in itself is not illegal but the law does require employers to consider and deal with any health and safety risks before people should be allowed to work alone.
Commenting on the case, Mrs Pam Waldron, HSE's Head of Operations said: "This is an unusual case which shows the need for employers to assess risks to employees who visit individuals in their homes and for arrangements to be reviewed when changes occur. We believe that if Mental Health Matters had carried out a risk assessment, it would have resulted in the visiting arrangements being reviewed."
Perry Leeks, Operations Director at First Response Training, says: “We can offer a specially designed Risk Assessment for Care training course which is ideal for anybody involved in providing health and social care, as well as a course specifically aimed at care managers. Both courses provide useful information on assessing risks to both the service user and the care worker. In addition to this, we also offer a Health & Safety for Carers training course which covers the relevant legislation and discusses violence and aggression.”
We also offer over 40 E-learning titles, including a Lone Working course for managers and supervisors. E-learning account manager, Pete Stock, explains: “This course advises managers and supervisors about the health and safety legislation that applies to lone working and details the employer’s responsibilities towards their employees. It teaches delegates how to assess the safety of their lone worker. The course is just 30 minutes in duration and can be completed by anyone with internet access.”
For further information on any of our training courses, please call today.
The registered charity, which is based in the North East, provides support and housing services to people who suffer from mental health problems. Ashleigh Ewing had been employed by Mental Health Matters for exactly six months and was just completing her probation period when she was stabbed to death by service user Ronald Dixon on 19th May 2006.
The attack occurred when the 22-year-old support worker paid a lone visit to Mr Dixon’s home in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in October 2007 and is detained indefinitely at Rampton Secure Hospital.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to prosecute Ashleigh’s employers on the grounds that they had exposed her to obvious risks, particularly in respect of her work with Ronald Dixon, and had failed to act on various warning signs. The court heard that the charity had failed to provide Ashleigh with the level of protection that the nature of her job warranted.
Mental Health Matters pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Working alone in itself is not illegal but the law does require employers to consider and deal with any health and safety risks before people should be allowed to work alone.
Commenting on the case, Mrs Pam Waldron, HSE's Head of Operations said: "This is an unusual case which shows the need for employers to assess risks to employees who visit individuals in their homes and for arrangements to be reviewed when changes occur. We believe that if Mental Health Matters had carried out a risk assessment, it would have resulted in the visiting arrangements being reviewed."
Perry Leeks, Operations Director at First Response Training, says: “We can offer a specially designed Risk Assessment for Care training course which is ideal for anybody involved in providing health and social care, as well as a course specifically aimed at care managers. Both courses provide useful information on assessing risks to both the service user and the care worker. In addition to this, we also offer a Health & Safety for Carers training course which covers the relevant legislation and discusses violence and aggression.”
We also offer over 40 E-learning titles, including a Lone Working course for managers and supervisors. E-learning account manager, Pete Stock, explains: “This course advises managers and supervisors about the health and safety legislation that applies to lone working and details the employer’s responsibilities towards their employees. It teaches delegates how to assess the safety of their lone worker. The course is just 30 minutes in duration and can be completed by anyone with internet access.”
For further information on any of our training courses, please call today.
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