SANE welcomes Linden Centre Parliamentary Debate
Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of SANE, comments on the parliamentary debate today on whether there should be a statutory public inquiry into the deaths of Matthew Leahy and 24 other patients at the Linden Centre, a secure mental health unit in Chelmsford, Essex:
“SANE welcomes this important milestone in the fight Melanie Leahy has led with other families for a full public inquiry. It is testament to her effective campaigning for the truth following the deaths of her son Matthew and so many other patients under this trust’s care.
“It is incredible that the problems at the Linden Centre have been known for so many years, yet so little appears to have been done to protect patients, despite numerous reports and investigations from the Care Quality Commission, coroners and the police.
“Our concern is that similar cases of staff and trusts failing to include families in the treatment and care of patients continue to lead to heartbreaking stories and unnecessary deaths.”
Melanie Leahy, right, with Labour MP Barbara Keeley, who had supported her call for a statutory public inquiry (Photo: Melanie Leahy)
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The deaths of mental health patients at an NHS unit in Essex over a 20-year period will be subject to an independent inquiry to begin in February, health minister Nadine Dorries has announced.
