Southern Health prosecution
Published: 6 March 2017
Page last updated: 3 November 2022
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has informed Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust that it will be prosecuted over an alleged failure to provide safe care and treatment resulting in avoidable harm to a patient and other patients being exposed to a significant risk of avoidable harm.
The prosecution follows an incident in December 2015 when a patient sustained serious injuries during a fall from a low roof at Melbury Lodge, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.
By law, registered providers of health and social care services - including NHS trusts - must take all reasonable steps and exercise all due diligence to ensure patients receive safe care and treatment.
The case is expected to be heard later in the year by Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court.
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.
We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.