An Oxford graduate, 27, died by suicide after a psychiatric nurse sent her alone in a taxi to a mental health assessment center, an inquest has revealed. Georgina Hodson took her own life in April after being rushed to St. Thomas' Hospital in South London.
There, psychiatric nurse Ifeoma Onuorah arranged for Ms. Hodson to travel by taxi to the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) at St. Charles Hospital in Kensington. However, Ms. Hodson did not complete the journey. Instead, she diverted the taxi and returned to her flat in Victoria, where she died.
The Inner West London coroner's court was told that Ms. Onuorah believed the MHCAS was the best course of treatment. However, she failed to confirm with the facility that Ms. Hodson would be arriving and was under the impression that MHCAS had been informed.
Ms. Onuorah expressed remorse, stating, "I'm really sorry. In hindsight, I should have told MHCAS myself, and I should have arranged for her to have an escort or for her to go in an ambulance." Ms. Hodson's family described the nurse's actions as "reprehensible" and "very lackadaisical."
Ms. Hodson's mother, Kate Grimwade-Hodson, recalled her daughter expressing reluctance to go to MHCAS. "Georgie hated MHCAS. I spoke to her on the phone when she was in the hospital, and she said she wasn't going," she said. "Then she stopped answering my calls. If I had known, I would have got on a train and seen her."
Despite Ms. Hodson stating she had no plans to kill herself, the nurse had concerns and arranged the assessment and taxi rather than discharging her. The MHCAS had been informed that Ms. Hodson was at the hospital but received no updates regarding her transport. She had been described as "ambivalent" about attending but was persuaded by Ms. Onuorah.
Steven Badger, general manager for the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, testified that Ms. Hodson should not have been sent in a taxi without the destination hospital being notified. "There wasn't a follow up call, that was the key thing that was missed," Badger stated. "Someone should have checked with the receiving team. The assumption that they knew she was coming was risky."
Ms. Hodson's sister, Becky Garnett-Buchma, characterized the treatment as "very lackadaisical," adding that such behavior would warrant disciplinary action in her own mental health workplace. Her father, Nick Hodson, emphasized the need for proper staff performance to prevent other families from enduring similar grief.
Police were called by Ms. Hodson's father concerned for her welfare. Officers who attended her flat were initially unable to gain entry but, hearing running water, assumed she was in the shower. Upon re-entry, they found Ms. Hodson deceased. CPR was administered, but she was pronounced dead in the early hours of April 11. A toxicology report indicated an overdose.
Coroner Sophie Mortimer ruled the death a suicide. She also noted that the psychiatric liaison team at St. Thomas' should have been aware of Ms. Hodson's history of mental ill health and suicidal plans. The failure to confirm her arrival at MHCAS or to provide an escort contributed to her death. Both the SLaM and CNWL have since revised their operating procedures, negating the need for a Prevention of Future Deaths report.
Ms. Hodson, originally from Hunan Province, China, was adopted and raised in Chester. She excelled academically, attending Worcester College, Oxford, where she studied philosophy and theology. Her family described her as having a wonderful sense of humor, an infectious smile, and a love for tennis, running, and piano. She had previously suffered from anxiety and was diagnosed with autism and anxiety, with her mental health worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She had been working part-time as an associate mental health worker for North London NHS Foundation Trust and was a patient representative for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Ms. Hodson had expressed worries about potential eviction, remaining single, and finding a full-time job.