a 37 year old man woman of East London was found decomposing after mental health services couldn’t control it for weeks, a poll has found.
Sophia Yurferev was found by police at her home in Hornchurch on November 16, 2021, more than a month after her death.
The inquest into his death found that the mental health trust charged with his care, North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), had not carried out any well-being checks during that time.
However, the medical examiner said it was not possible to say whether earlier follow-up or attendance at his home by health workers would have prevented his death.
According to a summary of the investigation, released by his family’s attorneys, Hodge, Jones & Allen, the trust did not control Yurferev for a month, despite his failure to show up for an appointment for antipsychotic treatment on Oct. 12.
Lawyers for her family said: “Efforts were made to contact Sophia between November 8 and 15; however, they were unsuccessful. The inquest heard that NELFT did not raise any concerns between 12 October 2021 and the time of Sophia’s death, due to ‘Covid-related staffing shortages’ at the trust.”
Yurferev moved to the UK from Siberia in 1998 with his mother, Maria Stockdale, and two brothers. When he was 19, his mental health deteriorated and in 2010 he was admitted to Newham Hospital under the Mental Health Act.
Between 2011 and 2016, he is said to have struggled with his mental health and experienced multiple “psychotic episodes”.
Lawyers for her family said: “During this period little help was offered to Sophia and her mother. In May 2016, Sophia had reached an all-time low. Realizing that she needed help, she continually asked for help through hospital admission, but her plea was ignored.”
She was eventually admitted to Goodmayes Hospital in late 2016, but was released without “a clear follow-up plan”.
At the end of 2019, Yurferev stopped taking his medication and his health began to deteriorate. Following this, she was placed in the care of community mental health services in Havering and prescribed the antipsychotic medication flupenthixol decanoate to be administered twice weekly.
The trust had recorded her last attendance on October 12, however it only reported her missing to police on November 12.
In a statement, Yurferev’s mother, Maria Stockdale, said: “I have no words to convey how devastated I am, not only at the loss of my daughter but at the way she died. She was meant to be taken care of by professionals and failed numerous times. If she had been given the care and support that she needed, I think she would be alive today.”
The attorney working on Sophia’s case, Nina Ali, a medical malpractice partner at Hodge, Jones & Allen, said, “This is yet another tragic case of mental health professionals failing in their duty to protect our oldest members. vulnerable in society. It was clear that Ms. Yuferev needed professional help, but she received very little support during her treatment. We are saddened to conclude that, thanks to the state of Sophia’s body when she was found, it resulted in limited responses for the family. However, we still hope that this will serve as a lesson for all mental health services.”
A NELFT spokesperson said: “We would like to offer our sincerest condolences to Sophia’s family and loved ones. We have been working with the family to provide ongoing support and access to family liaison.
“In accordance with the serious incident process we trust, we have conducted a review of the care provided and are implementing the learning as a result of this review.”
