Brothers’ deaths prompt island’s health and social services to move closer

The Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust has promised closer working
between health and social services following an inquiry into the
deaths of Robert and Richard Turnbull, the brothers with cerebral
palsy who were killed by their mother.

NHS Trust chairperson Allan Munds said improvements would be
made as a result of the independent report commissioned by the
trust, the local authority and health authority following Robert
and Richard’s deaths.

He told a meeting of the trust board: “Relationships between
health and social services are not as close as they should be and
we must build on those relationships that are there.”

He said he recognised that bringing together two very different
cultures to work to common care plans was not easy, but the trust
had to learn lessons from the report.

Chief executive Graham Elderfield promised that a joint action
plan would be brought to a future meeting to tackle the issue of
care for people with severe learning difficulties. If the trust did
have extra resources they would be directed to that vulnerable
group.

The inquiry found that the authorities had not breached their
duty of care to the 20- and 23-year-old brothers, who were
smothered by their mother, Janquil. But it noted that care provided
by the island’s agencies was fragmented, patchy and slowly
delivered.