Probation Service inaction - loss of officer's life

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At an inquest at Walthamstow Coroner's Court recently the London Probation Area (LPA) was accused of insensitivity to a probation officer who had her life threatened at work and of mismanagement of her work problems. All of which contributed to her depression leading to her taking her own life.

The key event for probation officer Gill Lewis (40) was while on a home visit to a client on her own the client brought out a gun and brandished it. The client then tried to treat the event as a joke and hid the gun. Gill was very shaken by this.

NAPO safety rep John Hague gave evidence at the inquest into Gill's death. She had been a probation officer for over 10 years and active in trade union politics for much longer. John was Gill's union rep and had represented her through the difficult period leading up to her death. When he heard of the tragic event he contacted the coroner who asked John to give evidence. No one from the LPA was present at the hearing.

Gill had suffered from intermittent depression for some years, however she had been working to a high standard for some two years prior to the first event in the sequence leading up to her death. She returned to the office where her immediate manager was very supportive, debriefed her and then sent her home for the rest of the week to recover.

No risk assessment

The home visit had not been risk assessed either locally or by the Probation Area as required by the law. Prior to the visit there had been informal discussion in the office that the visit might not be a good idea but she was not formally advised not to go alone. There are no written procedures for home or potentially violent visits.

Gill was subsequently off sick for approximately six weeks before returning to work believing she had fully recovered. However this event had undermined her self confidence and her belief in her ability to do her job. She entered a period of depression leading to a three month spell in hospital for treatment.

Gill was later discharged from hospital, declared fit to work and she was eager to return. John accompanied her on her return to work interview where things started to go wrong. The senior manager present had gone outside procedures and approached Gill's psychiatrist for a report on her health and after revealing this news then refused to show it to Gill, even when the human resources manager said they should.

According to John, Gill was fit and positive up until this point but the return to work proceedings verged on turning into a disciplinary hearing. Gill wanted to negotiate a phased return to work, as recommended by the psychiatrist who had treated her, but the senior manager demanded another independent psychiatric report into her health and blocked her return. Not only that but Gill was barred from visiting her workplace without prior approval, and was subsequently told to return her keys and to remove all personal belongings from her office.

Dismissal?

It was at this point that Gill started to believe she was being set up for dismissal. When John contacted a senior human resources manager about the breach of procedure contacting Gill's psychiatrist and the demand for an independent second psychiatric opinion, the HR manager agreed with John but did not over-rule the decision.

Reluctantly Gill agreed to see the occupational health doctor and waited for an appointment. Some two months later she was accused of not turning up for an appointment that had been arranged for her. The HR department then admitted the appointment details had been sent to the wrong address.

There was no HR monitoring of Gill's case during her unwanted prolonged paid absence. She only heard news of the client who had threatened her when she met a colleague who told her that he had been jailed for 6 years including 18 months for the incident with her.

Crown Court

John Hague said: "The Crown Court clearly saw this incident as very serious. It is a shame the Probation Service didn't do likewise."

John Hague said that hearing of the sentence in that way only added to Gill's feeling of isolation and lack of worth. John feels the Probation service failed in their duty of care towards an employee who was a victim of crime while in the course of their work.

Another occupational health appointment was made several weeks later and kept by Gill. However the LPS had by now discharged the services of the occupational health advisor and they required the process to begin again with another occupational health doctor.

Gill's relationship with her partner and her health had by now deteriorated significantly and following an unsuccessful attempt to take her life and another short spell in hospital she finally killed herself in April this year, almost 12 months after the original incident.

John spoke to Gill regularly and says she had been up-beat but the arrival of another form to fill in from her employer about her health and the setting of another occupational health appointment appeared to have been the final straw.

Final message

In an answerphone message to John just before she died she said "I've done what you asked and made the appointment to see the doctor. But I don't think I'm going to be able to manage it. It’s all their fault."

The Coroner at Walthamstow was very concerned there was no risk assessment or procedure at the time or 14 months later. As John said: "The coroner was clearly not best pleased."

John is to push for a review of Gill's death and for risk assessments and procedures to be negotiated on all the issues raised in this tragic case.

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