Latest news with #TheChildrensTrust
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Connor Wellsted: Father welcomes police review of investigation
The father of a five-year-old boy who died while in the care of a children's brain injury charity has welcomed a review of the police investigation into his Wellsted, from Sheffield, suffocated when a cot bumper became lodged under his chin during a stay at The Children's Trust's Tadworth unit in Surrey in 2017. An inquest found the cot was overdue a service and used Police, which has admitted shortcomings during the investigation, said it was reviewing the circumstances of the inquiry into Connor's the police review, Chris Wellstead, from Doncaster, said: "I never thought this day would actually come, in all honesty." "I didn't think I would live to see the day where I'd get the phone call."In a statement, The Children's Trust said the force had not been in contact about the review but they would "co-operate fully should they get in touch". Connor had neurological disabilities caused by a brain injury after he suffered a near-miss sudden infant death syndrome when he was five weeks 18 April 2017 he began what should have been a six-week stay at the trust for intensive neuro-rehabilitation, but was found dead in a padded cot on 17 May. An inquest found his cot was nine years old, was used infrequently and had not had an annual service for the previous five years."He meant the whole universe, that boy was my beating heart," said Mr inquest in 2022 concluded Connor had probably stood up and held on to the cot bumper, which was not properly fixed, causing it to dislodge and trap his neck, obstructing his Dr Karen Henderson said police and the coroners' service were not initially "fully informed of the circumstances" and the scene had "not been preserved".Key details were also not shared with the pathologist who performed the autopsy, the inquest heard, preventing a forensic post-mortem examination taking place to establish how or if the cot bumper may have contributed to his death. Surrey Police admitted shortcomings during the initial investigation into Connor's death, including failing to send a detective inspector to the scene in line with a policy on sudden a statement, a spokesperson said: "We fully accept this was a failing on our part."As a result, the force is now reviewing the investigation into the circumstances of Connor's death to ascertain if any further enquiries need to be made."They added: "We have been in contact with Connor's family and will be keeping them updated."Mike Thiedke, chief executive of The Children's Trust, said: "Eight years on from Connor's death, we recognise his loss remains devastating for his family and loved ones. "We will always be sorry that Connor died while in the care of The Children's Trust and that nothing we can say will ever take away the sorrow and pain."He continued: "We understand that Surrey Police are conducting a review of their own investigative processes into Connor's death - we have not been contacted by the police but will of course make ourselves available and co-operate fully should they get in touch."Over the past eight years we have undergone significant transformation and made substantial improvements and we are confident that introduced measures have strengthened safety, communication, and transparency across our services." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Four nurses investigated over death of boy, 5, at flagship children's care home
Four nurses are facing a fitness to practise probe after the death of a 5-year-old boy at a flagship care home for disabled children, The Independent can reveal. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the UK's nursing watchdog, initially found there was no case to answer over the death of Connor Wellsted, who suffocated in his cot in 2017 while being cared for at The Children's Trust (TCT) in Tadworth, Surrey. The nurses were referred to the NMC in May 2022, but the watchdog later closed the investigations. It reopened the probe in November 2023 and, this month, after a 19-month-long investigation, decided all four nurses should face fitness to practise tribunals. No interim conditions have been placed on the nurses, meaning they can continue to work while awaiting the outcome. If the committee finds the nurses are unfit to practise, they could be struck off or suspended. However, the committee can also decide that the nurses' fitness to practise is not impaired and give no sanction. It comes after The Independent revealed that Surrey police had reopened a probe into the handling of Connor's death following a litany of failings over the little boy's care. Connor died at TCT, the UK's largest brain injury rehabilitation centre for children, which can care for up to 66 young people, having suffocated when a cot bumper became lodged under his chin. He had been there for six weeks, receiving care for neuro-rehabilitation. He was the first of three disabled children to die while in the care of TCT. Raihana Oluwadamilola Awolaja and Mia Gauci-Lamport died in June and September 2023, respectively. Multiple failings have been identified in all three of the children's care, including a failure to appropriately monitor them. In 2022, coroner Karen Henderson found Connor died after the cot bumper, which was not properly secured, came loose and obstructed his airway. The inquest found TCT 'failed to keep Connor safe in his cot.' Among concerns highlighted by the inquest was the fact Connor had 'no regular or direct supervision during the night'. The inquest also revealed staff did not fully inform the police and coroner's services as to the circumstances of his death. Police were not told of the position Connor was found in, and that he had been dead for some time. They were also not told that the padded cot bumper was initially found across his neck, the inquest heard. The prevention of future deaths report states TCT's chief nurse and medical director were concerned about the role the bumper played in his death, but they did not keep a copy of his medical records or inform the relevant statutory bodies and 'arguably misled' the CQC. The pathologist was also not informed of the circumstances of his death, which prevented a post-mortem examination from taking place to establish whether the cot bumper played a part in how he died, the report said. 'An innocent individual' Last month, Coroner Fiona Wilcox issued a prevention of future deaths report following the death of Raihana. The report found there was a 'gross failure in care by nursing staff' after they failed to adequately observe her. It is not known whether any of the same staff cared for both Connor and Raihana. The inquest also revealed: 'Following Raihana's death, TCT undertook an investigation which failed to uncover what had happened or to understand the cause of her death. This meant that a nurse, to whom Raihana's care had been handed to by the allocated carer was blamed by the TCT and was referred to the NMC erroneously.' TCT said the initial investigation had been carried out by an external organisation. The inquest also found 'issues with the credibility of another nurse (nurse two) who should have been caring for Raihana'. Ms Wilcox warned: 'There may be a culture of cover-up at the TCT, in that they carried out a flawed investigation after this incident, pushing blame onto an innocent individual and thereby avoiding highlighting systemic failures and learning and thus risking lessons that should be learned are lost that could prevent future deaths.' In response to the coroner's allegations about the erroneous referral to the NMC, TCT said: 'We accept that the initial external investigation was inadequate and did not sufficiently explore systemic factors. 'We later identified these issues and undertook further work to strengthen our organisational learning. The extensive evidence presented to the coroner during the inquest helped clarify the events that led to Raihana's death and enabled us to improve the way we manage and investigate incidents. 'Raihana's death has prompted significant reflection, change, and action across our organisation. We are working hard to build a no-blame culture and support our specialist staff to meet our high standards of care. We've made significant changes to how we review and respond to concerns - focusing on learning, not blame.' It said it has implemented the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), 'which shifts the emphasis from individual fault to understanding wider systemic issues'. The NMC was sent a copy of Raihana's prevention of future deaths report. In a response to The Independent, it said: 'We are aware of the tragic deaths of Connor, Raihana and Mia and our thoughts are with their loved ones. 'We can confirm that we have received the prevention of future deaths report in relation to Raihana's sad death and are considering the appropriate next steps. 'We are only able to confirm whether an individual is under investigation in certain circumstances, which is generally if we have completed an investigation and case examiners decide there is a case to answer.' The NMC confirmed that, in the case of Connor, its case examiners have decided there is a case to answer concerning four registrants and have recommended they proceed to a fitness to practise committee. The NMC has faced criticism over the screening and decision-making of referrals.
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Nurses to face regulator over a case involving the death of a 5-year-old after failings by a flagship UK care home
Four nurses who cared for a 5-year-old who died at a children's care home are being by the UK's nursing watchdog after The Independent revealed xx The Nursing and Midwifery Council initailly found there was no case to answer over Connor Wellsted's death but reopened the investigation a year later. Connor died while being treated at The Children's Trust, the UK's largest rehabilitation unit for children with brain injury, in 2017. His death came after a litany of failings xxxx The NMC, which regulates nurses and midwives in the UK, has decided to take forward fitness to practice probes into four registrants. The nurses were referred in June 2022 and the NMC initially closed investigations. After a review of its decision, the regulator decided all cases should be reopened. Last week, The Independent revealed Surrey police have reopened a probe into the handling of Connor's death. The UK's nursing regulator has opened investigations into four clinicians over a case involving the death of a 5-year-old after failings by the UK's largest rehabilitation unit for children with brain injury, The Independent can reveal. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, which regulates nurses and midwives in the UK, has decided to take forward fitness to practice probes into four registrants, over the case of Conner Wellsted, a 5-year-old who died at The Children's Trust in 2017, following a litany of failures. This comes after the regulator initially closed investigations after the nurses were referred in June 2022. After a review of its decision, the regulator decided all cases should be reopened. The regulator has now decided that all four nurses should face a fitness to practice committee hearing. The Children's Trust is the UK's largest brain injury rehabilitation unit for children and is used by the NHS and local authorities across the country. Last week, The Independent revealed Surrey police have reopened a probe into the handling of Conner's death. Now, the UK's nursing regulator has confirmed that it received referrals against four registrants in relation to Conner's case in May 2022 and that in June 2025, following an investigation, it decided the nurses have a case to answer and will each face a fitness to practice committee. No interim conditions were placed on the nurses' licences to practice. Conner Wellsted was the first of three disabled children to have died whilst in the care of The Children's Trust. His death came six years before Raihana Oluwadamilola Awolaja and Mia Gauci-Lamport, in June and September 2023, respectively. Multiple failings have been identified in all three children's deaths, including a failure to appropriately monitor the children. In 2022, Coroner Karen Henderson found Conner died after a cot bumper, which was not properly secured, came loose and obstructed his airway. The inquest found TCT 'failed to keep Conner safe in his cot.' Among concerns highlighted by the inquest was the fact that Conner had 'no regular or direct supervision during the night.' The inquest also revealed that staff did not fully inform the police and coroner's services as to the circumstances of his death. Police were not told of the position Conner was found in and that he had been dead for some time, or that the padded cot bumper was initially found across his neck. According to the outcome of a complaint to the police in summing up the coroner said: 'I do not accept the evidence that when Connor was found deceased, the bumper was lying on Connor's chest or that it was not impeding him in any way...I am also satisfied given the rigidity and the firmness of the bumper that some force was needed to remove the bumper although it remains unclear who removed the bumper and whether that involved one or two members of the nursing staff lending considerable support to indicate that Connor was entrapped. 'Thereafter, I am also satisfied that the bumper was removed from Connor's neck and then at some point it was likely to have been placed back on Connor's chest which was thereafter found by other nursing staff who were asked to attend Connor as an emergency.' The prevention of future deaths report also states TCT's chief nurse and medical director were concerned about the role the bumper played in his death; however, they did not keep a copy of his medical records or inform the relevant statutory bodies and arguably 'misled' the CQC. The pathologist was also not informed of the circumstances of his death, which prevented a post-mortem from taking place to establish whether the cot bumper played a part in his death. 'An Innocent individual' Last month, Coroner Fiona Wilcox issued a prevention of future deaths report following the death of Raihana in June 2023. The report found there was a 'gross failure in care by nursing staff' after they failed to adequately observe her. However, the inquest also revealed that following Raihana's death, TCT undertook an investigation which failed to uncover the cause of death. This resulted in a nurse to whom Raihana's care had been handed being 'blamed by the TCT and was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council erroneously.' The inquest also found 'issues with the credibility of another nurse (nurse two) who should have been caring for Raihana.' Coroner Wilcox warned: 'There may be a culture of cover-up at the TCT, in that they carried out a flawed investigation after this incident, pushing blame onto an innocent individual and thereby avoiding highlighting systemic failures and learning and thus risking lessons that should be learned are lost that could prevent future deaths.' In response to the Coroner's allegations about the erroneous referral to the NMC, The Children's Trust said: 'We accept that the initial external investigation was inadequate and did not sufficiently explore systemic factors. We later identified these issues and undertook further work to strengthen our organisational learning. The extensive evidence presented to the coroner during the inquest helped clarify the events that led to Raihana's death and enabled us to improve the way we manage and investigate incidents.' 'Raihana's death has prompted significant reflection, change, and action across our organisation. We are working hard to build a no-blame culture and support our specialist staff to meet our high standards of care. We've made significant changes to how we review and respond to concerns - focusing on learning, not blame.' It said it has implemented the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), 'which shifts the emphasis from individual fault to understanding wider systemic issues.' The Nursing and Midwifery Council were sent a copy of Raihana's prevention of future deaths report. In a response to The Independent, it said: 'We are aware of the tragic deaths of Connor, Raihana and Mia and our thoughts are with their loved ones.' 'We can confirm that we have received the prevention of future deaths report in relation to Raihana's sad death and are considering the appropriate next steps.' 'We are only able to confirm whether an individual is under investigation in certain circumstances, which is generally if we have completed an investigation and case examiners decide there is a case to answer.' The NMC confirmed in the case of Conner Wellsted that its case examiners have decided there is a case to answer in relation to four registrants and have recommended they proceed to a fitness to practise committee.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
From student advocate to Capitol Hill, South Florida man credits The Children's Trust for helping him find purpose
While attending John A. Ferguson Senior High School, a friend invited Eleazar Padilla to join The Children's Trust Youth Advisory Committee. "We find that when we give our young people the opportunity to serve their communities, to advocate for their communities, it is incredible the transformation within a community," Danielle Barreras, associate director of community engagement for The Children's Trust, said. The Youth Advisory Committee focuses on service, advocacy, and hands-on community engagement to help families throughout South Florida. Padilla said he was quickly hooked. "I saw a lot of people starting to worry about making sure that they can push for some form of citizenship. They're worried about their family members who were trying to immigrate over. My thought was, 'how do I make sure that people aren't scared?'," he said. Youth Advisory Committee experience changed his life Padilla quickly became vice president of the West Kendall branch, tackling tough topics centering around local elections and homelessness. But it was a prison tour, where he saw a teenager locked up in an adult prison, that led him to double major in sociology and political science. "It blew my mind that there was a minor in a facility with adults, and that person was being isolated because they couldn't be held in the same areas that others were. That drew me to working in juvenile justice," he said. Now a college graduate, Padilla has taken his activism to Capitol Hill. He's working with U. S. House members to push for education reform and labor rights. "Every day I go to work and I see the Washington Monument as I go in, and I see the United States Capitol, and I'm inside and I'm doing my work, and I know, wow, I'm at the center of it all," he said. Padilla said his early work with the Youth Advisory Committee helped him carve out a clear purpose. "The future is just making sure that I can keep fighting, keep giving back to my community as much as I can," he said. Send us your story at MiamiProud@
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Tadworth care home's 'culture of cover up', coroner says
A coroner says a possible "culture of cover up" at a care facility could lead to further deaths after saying neglect contributed to the death of a 12-year-old Awolaja from Essex died in hospital on 1 June 2023 following a cardiac arrest while unsupervised in her residential care home in Tadworth, Surrey.A coroner has told The Children's Trust (TCT) that if Raihana had been properly observed she would not have died "on the balance of probabilities".Mike Thiedke, the charity's chief executive, said TCT had completed a thorough review of its care and that Raihana's death had a "profound effect on the way we care for, support, and involve the children and families". 'Systemic failures' In 2022, Raihana was placed at Tadworth Court, a residential care facility operated by TCT, and required constant one-to-one supervision, the family's solicitors Leigh Day a prevention of future deaths report to the TCT, the senior coroner for inner west London, Professor Fiona Wilcox, said she had concerns "that there may be culture of cover up at the TCT" as they were avoiding "highlighting systemic failures and learning" which could prevent future coroner said she also had concerns that TCT did not sufficiently communicate with the local authority or families in relation to issues with care and supervision, and that there were also possible staff training Wilcox said families were not being listened to when they raised concerns. On 29 May 2023 Raihana had been left unsupervised for about 15 minutes and her breathing tube became 12-year-old later died of a hypoxic brain injury in hospital and the coroner gave a conclusion of death by natural causes contributed to by Wilcox said Raihana's allocated carer left the unit to do an administrative task and handed her care to a nurse due to go off five minutes later her care was again handed over to a another nurse who did not supervise the 12-year-old as she was caring for another child. 'Gross failure' Raihana's allocated nurse returned to find she had gone into cardiac arrest and the alarm was Wilcox said: "This failure to adequately observe her was a gross failure in care by the nursing staff."Following Raihana's death, TCT undertook an investigation which failed to uncover what had happened or to understand the cause of her death, the coroner mother Latifat Kehinde Solomon had also raised concerns to TCT several times after seeing her daughter left unsupervised, the coroner said. Mr Thiedke said the charity, which "unreservedly" apologised for its "failings", had made improvements to its staff training and put a new system in place to make sure families were heard."In partnership with our regulators and the wider health care system, we have changed how we monitor and observe children and young people and increased frontline staffing levels," he says it is considering the report and is planning to submit a response outlining the work that had already being taken, and what was going to change in the March 2024 the trust was warned about inconsistent visual checks during overnight observations at the care facility in Tadworth and seven months later similar concerns were flagged again.
