Psychiatric nurse neglected patient who took own life

A mental health nurse who failed to check on a patient she had a "grudge" against before she took her own life has been jailed for four years.

Laurence Tchapong, 54, was required to check Amy Barber, 22, every five minutes at the Brooklands psychiatric intensive care unit at Clatterbridge Hospital in Wirral, but Liverpool Crown Court heard Tchapong completed records suggesting checks had taken place on 30 June 2022.

Amy was found unresponsive by a colleague but could not be saved, and CCTV showed Tchapong had not checked on her for 25 minutes.

Tchapong, from Manchester, denied wilful neglect but was convicted following a trial.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Amy Barber had a complex mental health history, had been detained under the Mental Health Act and had previously displayed significant self-harming behaviour.

Sentencing, Judge Murray said Tchapong had "deliberately lied" in the observation records in an attempt to evade justice.

The judge said Tchapong had previously been given a verbal warning after Amy Barber photographed her sleeping and reported her to management.

He said: "I am sure the defendant held a grudge against Amy for a perceived lack of warmth towards the defendant, and because Amy had previously complained about the defendant."

Reading a statement to the court, Amy Barber's mother, Susan Barber, described her daughter as "the most caring, bright, funny and intelligent girl I've ever met".

She said: "She was driven. That drive was taken away by a system that let her down."

She urged those responsible for patient care to "please learn from this".

Tchapong told her trial the ward had been understaffed and that she had been required to undertake additional duties on the evening of Amy Barber's death.

However, the judge said the jury had rejected both claims.

Patrick Cassidy, defending Tchapong, said the intensity and difficult nature of mental health nursing could sometimes "wear down the resilience and the professionalism of those who operate in that sector".

The court heard Tchapong had previously been of good character.

Prosecutor Maqsood Khan said Tchapong had held "a position of significant trust and responsibility" but failed to carry out the checks and then sought to conceal her actions by falsifying records.

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