Suicidal patient, 24, died hours after being discharged from scandal-hit hospital

Daniel Tucker’s family ‘devastated’ by failures in his care at Highbury Hospital, where Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane was also treated

Despite repeated suicidal intentions to staff up to two days before his discharge, Daniel Tucker was still released from the hospital and took his own life within hours of leaving the building (Deborah Tucker)

A suicidal man died hours after being discharged from a scandal-hit hospital which is at the centre of a probe into the care of Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane.

Daniel Tucker was released from a mental health ward at Highbury Hospital in Nottingham last year and died shortly afterwards, having taken a toxic substance he had purchased online.

An inquest into his death last week found there were multiple failings by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust in the lead-up to Tucker’s death, with no appropriate care plan or risk assessment in place for him before or after his discharge.

The 10-day hearing heard he had been discharged from the hospital on 22 April, despite having shared suicidal intentions with staff just days before. The jury concluded that failures by staff to ensure an appropriate plan for him contributed to his death.

It comes after health secretary Victoria Atkins ordered the Care Quality Commission to carry out an inquiry into Nottinghamshire Healthcare. The probe will look at the handling of Calocane, who had been discharged from Highbury Hospital and was a patient under the trust’s community crisis services when he stabbed three people to death in a brutal knife rampage.

Last month, The Independent also revealed how more than 30 staff at Highbury Hospital had been suspended over allegations of falsifying medical notes and mistreating patients. The hospital has refused to confirm which wards the dozens of staff have been suspended from.

‘We have been devastated by our loss of Dan, a much-loved, witty, intelligent, gentle soul,’ said Tucker’s family (Deborah Tucker)

Tucker’s family have described him as a “kind, generous, intelligent and thoughtful” young man who had a love for animals.

In 2022, he was studying for a degree in biology when he had a mental health breakdown, which led to a serious self-harm attempt. He was admitted to A&E in April 2022. He was later detained under the Mental Health Act to Redwood Ward at Highbury Hospital.

During his admission, which lasted 12 days, he made repeated suicidal intentions to staff up to two days before his discharge. Despite this, he was still released from the hospital and took his own life within hours of leaving the building, the inquest heard.

Evidence seen by The Independent also shows Tucker was allowed off the ward on several occasions.

His family told The Independent: “We have been devastated by our loss of Dan, a much-loved, witty, intelligent, gentle soul who still had so much to give to the world despite his periodic struggles with his mental health.

“Words cannot express the anguish that we, as a family, continue to feel.

“The manner of his death, and the catastrophic failure of Highbury Hospital to keep a recognised vulnerable young man safe, as is their duty under the Mental Health Act, has only made the last nearly two years more unbearable.”

The family claimed the attitude of the trust throughout the process had been “horrendous with inaccurate and sub-standard investigations, last-minute disclosure of evidence and a disregard for the loss that we have felt”.

They added: “We firmly believe that the issues that Dan dealt with at Highbury Hospital are not unique and that there is a deeply concerning and dangerous culture present throughout the hospital.”

The family are also concerned about the availability of the substance Tucker used to end his life and the lack of information for emergency services on emerging suicide methods.

In a letter from the trust to the family, seen by The Independent, the hospital nursing director apologised for the “factual inaccuracy” issues within its investigation into Tucker’s death and acknowledged the family had been caused “distress” by its actions.

Evidence from the inquest revealed Tucker’s discharge form had been completed after he had left the ward but was backdated to when he was still in the hospital. These forms are legal documents which are meant to be completed before discharge.

Clare Evans, from Saunders Law, which represented the family, said: “The extent and wide-ranging nature of the failings in Dan’s case are shocking, showing that Dan’s tragic death was clearly avoidable.”

She said the review into Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust had been welcomed by Tucker’s family but that it is important that “true and deep-seated cultural changes are made”.

Ifti Majid, of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust extends its condolences to Tucker’s family and acknowledges aspects of his care were not of the quality they should have been.

He said the trust has made changes since his death, including introducing a peer support worker for patients and having named nurses for people in care.

If you are affected by this story or need to reach out for help, you can call Samaritans on 116 123