Home / Health / Friend Slams "Box-Ticking" Mental Health Care After Tragic Death
Friend Slams "Box-Ticking" Mental Health Care After Tragic Death
4 Feb
Summary
- Woman died of alcohol poisoning days before her birthday.
- Friend claims mental health services treated her like a box-ticking exercise.
- Public inquiry is examining thousands of mental health-related deaths.
Gosia Nowak, aged 41, tragically died from alcohol poisoning in 2019, just two days before her birthday and less than 24 hours after an NHS appointment. Her friend, Stuart Ringer, is set to testify at the Lampard Inquiry, which is scrutinizing deaths at NHS-run inpatient units in Essex.
Ringer contends that Nowak, who battled alcohol addiction for years, was treated with negligence and apathy by mental health services, likening her care to a "box-ticking" exercise. He shared that Nowak, originally from Poland, had a difficult past, including childhood trauma and distrust of others, which he believes contributed to her addiction and subsequent homelessness.
The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has apologized to families for their losses and stated that improvements have been implemented. The Lampard Inquiry, examining over 2,000 mental health-related deaths in Essex between 2000 and 2023, has recently seen its timetable delayed, with Baroness Lampard's final report now anticipated in mid-2028.
