NHS Trust denies corporate manslaughter over death of 22-year-old patient Alice Figueiredo

An NHS Trust has denied corporate manslaughter over the death of a young woman who took her own life while an inpatient at a northeast London hospital.

Alice Figueiredo, 22, was staying on an acute psychiatric ward at Goodmayes Hospital in Redbridge when she died on July 7, 2015.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust has been charged along the ward manager, Benjamin Aninakwa, with criminal offences over Ms Figueiredo’s death.

At the Old Bailey on Friday, the Trust pleaded not guilty to corporate manslaughter as well as an alleged health and safety breach.

Aninakwa, 52, of St Francis Way, Grays, who was the manager of Hepworth Ward, was in court to deny allegations of manslaughter and a health and safety breach.

An eight-week trial at the same court has been set before Judge Richard Marks, to start on October 28.

It is alleged Aninakwa did not “take reasonable steps” to remove a method of suicide from Ms Figueiredo, and in allegedly doing so he put patients on the ward at risk.

The Trust is accused of “failing to take reasonable steps to prevent her from preventable harm, and caused the death by gross breach of duty in the care of Alice Figueiredo”.

It is alleged 18 previous attempts at suicide using the same method had been recorded on ward notes, records, and been the subject of discussion in meetings, and the Trust is accused of failing act.

Aninakwa was granted continued conditional bail ahead of the next hearing in the case on June 25.

Five members of Ms Figueiredo’s family sat in court for the hearing.