Inquest rules neglect contributed to Liam McGenity hospital death

The probe into the circumstances surrounding the death of Liam McGenity, from Widnes, took place at Warrington Coroner’s Court, before area coroner for Cheshire Victoria Davies.

The 29-year-old died on March 2, 2021, while an inpatient at St Mary’s Hospital in Warrington, a private mental health facility run by Elysium Healthcare for men aged 18 and above.

Liam was admitted to the Floyd Drive facility in February 2021 following a mental health crisis, and his bed was commissioned by the NHS.

Paying tribute to him, his family said: “He was a talented musician, with such a bright future ahead of him.

“He was utterly hilarious, with boundless energy and a zest for life, living each day to its fullest, spreading love and happiness with his caring, creative and confident personality.

“We are blessed to be left with his beautiful music, meaningful lyrics, soulful voice and skilled guitar playing.

“There are many of his much-loved songs on various music streaming platforms that we encourage everyone to listen to.”

Talented musician Liam McGenity died while a patient at St Mary's Hospital in Orford (Image: Supplied)

After seven days of evidence, the inquest jury returned a conclusion that Liam's death was contributed to by neglect.

He was sectioned to St Mary's Hospital under the Mental Health Act and was dependant on staff on the Eve Ward for his care and support needs.

Jurors recorded that there was a gross failure to provide basic medical attention, and that had this been provided to Liam, this would have probably prevented his death.

On the ruling, Liam’s family said: “There was no winning for us as nothing will bring our Liam back, but we are relieved that the jury came back with the most severe conclusion left open to them.

“We had hoped that St Mary's, owned by Elysium Healthcare, would approach the inquest with honesty and openness to help make real change so this does not happen again.

“Instead, we have been shocked and appalled, and made to feel it has spent all its time and money to approach the inquest defensively, and has put all its efforts into hiding the catalogue of failings that it made.

“We feel hugely disappointed with Elysium, and not at all confident that we will see any changes to its practices.

“We are outraged by the presentation of the senior staff at St Mary's that we have seen in court, and feel like their ‘care’ is archaic, relying solely on force and medication as their only tool to help patients’ rehabilitation.

Talented musician Liam McGenity died while a patient at St Mary's Hospital in Orford (Image: Google Maps)

“They denied our Liam any visits from family, outside leave, meaningful activities or therapy from a psychologist, and isolated him in his room for 10 days, which left Liam with no other option.”

The family's legal representatives, Kelly Darlington, of Farleys Solicitors, and Lily Lewis, of Garden Court North Chambers, also commented.

They said in a joint statement: “Liam's family have fought for three years for justice for Liam, and to find out the full facts surrounding his tragic and preventable death.

“Their main aim throughout has been to ensure that the serious failings in Liam's care do not happen again and that changes are made by Elysium Healthcare to ensure other vulnerable patients like Liam are safeguarded from serious harm.

“The jury's conclusion reflects what the family have believed since Liam died, and they would like to thank jurors for their detailed and powerful conclusion.”

Following the conclusion of the inquest, a spokesman for Elysium Healthcare said: “We continue to send our deepest condolences to Mr McGenity’s family following his tragic death while in our care.

“We apologise unreservedly.

“In the three years following Liam’s death, detailed action plans have been fully embedded to address the issues highlighted during this inquest.”