Camden News: Colville Mark

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Camden News - by SARA NEWMAN
Published: 28 August 2008

Flat death man’s visits stopped when mental health posts axed

West Hampstead schizophrenic judged able to cope when home services cut

A SCHIZOPHRENIC found dead at his West Hampstead flat had his home visits stopped after being judged well enough to cope alone, an inquest has heard.
Colville Mark, 50, may have been dead for months before his brother and mother found his body in March.
He was among 50 patients that stopped receiving home visits when Camden’s mental health services cut two social worker posts in July last year. They had previously helped Mr Mark take medication at his Hillgrove Road flat, until consultants decided he was well enough to take his medicine without assistance.
Mr Mark, 50, a father of one who had recently become a grandfather, had last been heard from in December.
His mother, Linda Mark, told St Pancras Coroner’s Court last Tuesday: “We would often not be able to make contact with him for months. His brother went to look in the flat and when he came down he was screaming and he said Mama: ‘He’s dead’.”
She told the court: “There was supposed to be people coming into the flat to check he was all right. Why didn’t they find him?”
Dr Siobhan Jeffreys, a consultant psychiatrist at Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust, said: “It seemed when he took the [anti-psychotic]drugs those [delusional] beliefs receded.
“Mr Mark was one of the patients considered well enough to be discharged and referred back to us if any problems occurred in the future.” She added: “We had 50 patients unallocated after loosing two members of staff from the community team.”
Since taking anti-psychotic medication in the form of injections, voices in Mr Mark’s head and his fear of being indoors rapidly abated, the court was told.
Home office pathologist Simon Poole was unable to determine the cause of death but there were no clues to suggest that Mr Mark’s death was unnatural. Police found no evidence of robbery or marks of violence and Mr Mark had no history of self-harm and left no suicide note.
Coroner Dr Andrew Reid recorded an open verdict. He said: “It’s not possible to prove it, but it’s possible Mr Mark died suddenly.”
Outside court, his sister Yvonne told the New Journal: “He was my mother’s right hand for a long time. He had a kind heart and was very loving. She’ll never get over it.”

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If traders have been warned about the consequences and still ignored them in this way they should be named and shamed. It's disgraceful.
Georgina Parry