On June 13, 2023, Nottingham faced a tragedy when Valdo Calocane stabbed to death three individuals, raising urgent questions about mental health services. The inquiry into the incident has revealed alarming details about how Calocane was discharged from care.
Calocane had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was under the care of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for two years. However, he was discharged back to his GP just months before the attack because healthcare workers could not locate him.
Emma Robinson, a team leader at the trust, explained the situation: “We did consider that, but we felt that within the time of decision we had no holding powers; we couldn’t work with him, we couldn’t find him at this point.” This sentiment highlights a critical failure in the system.
In fact, Calocane’s last engagement with the Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) team occurred by phone on July 16, 2022. After that date, he was not seen for nine months before his discharge.
Robinson noted that it felt safer to discharge someone back to their GP than to keep them on an open caseload without engagement. She stated, “It feels safer to have somebody discharged back to the queue of the GP than open to a secondary service when we can’t engage them or we can’t do anything for them.” This raises concerns about public safety and accountability within mental health services.
A consultant psychiatrist had previously warned that Calocane would end up killing someone if he remained untreated. Yet, despite these warnings and evidence of his deteriorating condition, he slipped through the cracks of a system designed to protect vulnerable individuals and the community.
The implications of this sequence of events are profound for those affected. The families of Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both just 19 years old, as well as Ian Coates, aged 65, are left grappling with loss and seeking answers in a landscape where mental health services failed them.
This inquiry is not just about one individual’s tragic actions; it raises larger questions about how mental health services operate and their responsibilities towards both patients and public safety. As communities reflect on this case, it becomes imperative to address these systemic issues before another tragedy occurs.
