The North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) and ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa have been found guilty of health and safety failings over the death of Alice Figueiredo, 22, who took her own life at Goodmayes Hospital in July 2015. Despite 18 previous suicide attempts using bin bags from a shared toilet, the bags were not removed from the communal area, leading to her 19th and fatal attempt. The trust was cleared of corporate manslaughter, and Aninakwa of gross negligence manslaughter, but the verdict, reached after a 24-day jury deliberation, highlights systemic failures in mental health care and the family's decade-long fight for accountability.
Alice Figueiredo death: NHS trust and medic guilty of failings
DepressionHealthLondonMental healthIlford
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️The North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) and ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa have been found guilty of health and safety failings over the death of Alice Figueiredo, 22, who took her own life at Goodmayes Hospital in July 2015. Despite 18 previous suicide attempts using bin bags from a shared toilet, the bags were not removed from the communal area, leading to her 19th and fatal attempt. The trust was cleared of corporate manslaughter, and Aninakwa of gross negligence manslaughter, but the verdict, reached after a 24-day jury deliberation, highlights systemic failures in mental health care and the family's decade-long fight for accountability.
Trending- 1 December 2014: Benjamin Aninakwa's performance improvement plan ended.
- 2 February 2015: Alice Figueiredo was admitted to Goodmayes Hospital.
- 3 July 7, 2015: Alice Figueiredo took her own life.
- 4 Nearly a decade (2015-2025): Alice's family gathered evidence and pressed police/CPS for action.
- 5 Recent (seven months): The trial at the Old Bailey took place.
- 6 Recent (24 days): The jury deliberated to reach the verdicts.
- Guilty verdicts for health and safety failings against an NHS trust and a medic
- Highlights systemic issues in mental health care
- Calls for transparency and improvements in mental health services
- Sets a precedent for future prosecutions against public bodies
What: The North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) and ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa were found guilty of health and safety failings leading to the death of patient Alice Figueiredo, who died by suicide in a mental health unit.
When: Alice Figueiredo died in July 2015. She was admitted to Goodmayes Hospital in February 2015. Aninakwa's performance improvement plan ended in December 2014. The trial lasted seven months, and the jury deliberated for 24 days. Nearly a decade passed since her death for the family to get answers and action.
Where: Goodmayes Hospital, Ilford, east London, UK. The Old Bailey (court) in London. Grays, Essex (Aninakwa's location). Northumbria University (for expert commentary).
Why: The primary reason for the death was the failure to remove bin bags from a communal toilet, despite Alice's repeated suicide attempts using them and warnings from her family. Contributing factors included concerns about the ward manager's communication, efficiency, clinical, and leadership skills, as well as a high turnover of agency staff on the ward.
How: Alice Figueiredo took her own life using a bin bag from a communal toilet. The hospital and ward manager failed to implement sufficient safeguards despite her history of attempts and family warnings. A trial was held, leading to the guilty verdicts for health and safety failings.