Case study: independent investigation into the care and treatment of MO
Care and treatment of MO
NHS London commissioned Verita to undertake an independent investigation into the care and treatment of MO, who killed a French student in east London in 2006.
MO's had a complex history. He had been homeless was and had spent many months travelling around the country and aboard where he had been confronted by police and received health and social services. In some cases episodes of care only came to light as part of Verita's investigation. Verita's expertise in working with a variety of organisations was vital to ensure cross-service cooperation and a full understanding of MO's care.
Verita found that MO was able to able to mask his symptoms due to his intelligence and the fact that English was not his first language. He did not have a family network and did not spend enough time in one place for doctors to properly diagnose him. Verita's findings included weaknesses in information sharing and record keeping. Opportunities to assess risk he posed were missed, with a lack of staff being a key factor. Verita made recommendations a series of practical recommendations to improve inter-agency working and risk management.