Ruth Szymankiewicz: Death of teenager at intensive psychiatric care unit ruled as unlawful killing

A 14-year-old girl was unlawfully killed while she was a patient on a children’s psychiatric ward, an inquest has concluded.

Ruth Szymankiewicz died on 14 February 2022 after self-harming at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire, while she was supposed to be under constant supervision.

Addressing Ruth's parents, coroner Ian Wade KC said with tears in his eyes: "I hope you will treasure all the good memories of your lovely daughter."

In a damning conclusion the jury found Ruth was not prevented from accessing harmful content on the internet, and that insufficient care prevented her from being discharged.

They also concluded her parents did not have adequate information about her care, and were only given limited visiting times and that staff training was not implemented in line with HR policy.

Ruth's parents Mark and Kate Szymankiewicz, who are both doctors, read an emotional statement outside the court after the verdict.

They said: "There is an empty space at our table, a silent bedroom in our home, a gaping hole in our family that will never be filled.... Ruth was an incredible, bright, friendly, loving and adventurous girl with a whole life of joy ahead of her … When, at our most vulnerable as a family, we reached out for help; we ultimately found ourselves trapped in a system that was meant to care for her, to help her, to keep her safe, but instead locked her away and harmed her."

Throughout proceedings Mr and Mrs Szymankiewicz sat with a photo of Ruth on their desk, and a soft toy giraffe from when she was a baby.

The inquest heard how Ruth, who was being treated for an eating disorder, was left alone for fifteen minutes and was able to shut herself in her bedroom on 12 February 2022 before she self-harmed.

She died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

CCTV played to the jury showed her last movements on Thames Ward, a psychiatric intensive care unit known as a PICU, at Huntercombe Hospital.

She could be seen in the television room with her support worker, a man who went by the name Ebo Achempong, who repeatedly left her on her own despite Ruth's care requiring one-to-one observation.

It was revealed during the inquest the support worker was hired by an agency using a false name and falsified documents.

The police did not question him as he fled the UK on a flight to Ghana after the incident.

Sky News investigations into Huntercombe Group units:
Former patients say they were 'treated worse than animals'
'Blood on the walls': Shocking truth of life on mental health unit
Thirty former patients reached out to Sky News after initial probe
'Inadequate staffing' at Berkshire hospital 'put young people at risk'

The inquest heard how the unit was frequently under-staffed including on the day Ruth managed to harm herself. On that day 50% of workers were agency staff.

The coroner had told the jury if they found unlawful killing, it would amount to gross negligence manslaughter by the support worker responsible for her care. Inquests must decided on the balance of probabilities rather than criminal cases for which the threshold is "beyond all reasonable doubt".

This finding is unusual and highly significant.

Huntercombe Hospital, also known as Taplow Manor was closed down in 2023 following investigations by Sky News and The Independent.

The Active Care Group ran the unit until its closure after taking over Huntercombe Group Hospitals in 2021.

It said after the inquest: "We extend our heartfelt condolences to Ruth's family, friends, and all those affected by her passing. We deeply regret the tragic event that occurred, and we are truly sorry for the distress this has caused and recognise the profound impact it has had on everyone who knew her.

"We are disappointed that a third-party company we engaged in good faith explicitly breached the terms of our contract with them and this played a role in the circumstances leading to Ruth's tragic death. We have not engaged this agency since the incident."

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