The family of a man with a "quiet strength", who was killed on a mental health ward in Newcastle, has shared a touching tribute. The loved ones of Michael Matthews have shared emotional words, after a coroner found that there were "failures to monitor" the man who killed him.
However, at the conclusion of his inquest on Friday, Newcastle and North Tyneside senior coroner Georgina Nolan ruled that the NHS failure had not "more than minimally, negligibly or trivially contributed" to Mr Matthews' death. Michael was violently attacked in his room on the Fellside Ward of the Hadrian Clinic in April 2022, by Ahsan Zia.
Attack and death
As a result of this, the 55-year-old suffered "head and facial injuries", leading to a cardiac arrest, and he died just days later at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Zia was originally charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at Newcastle Crown Court in 2023.
Speaking after the inquest, Michael's brother Martin Matthews said: "Michael was nurturing and deeply protective of his younger siblings. He carried a quiet strength that made us feel safe, supported and understood.
"He was also a beloved son, proud uncle and cherished friend. He had simple pleasures, he loved the outdoors, fishing and camping and spent hours at his favourite beach in Dorset, where he grew up, with just a packed lunch and a fishing rod."
Family's pain and NHS response
"With no children of his own, Michael felt an enormous sense of pride when he became an uncle to his nieces, he adored them and celebrated every milestone. His death has left a void in all our lives, he was deeply loved by his family and his absence is felt in a hundred quiet ways."
"To add to the pain we’ve felt, the way we were treated by NHS England after Michael’s death was appalling. They commissioned an external investigation and told us they would update us every month and we would be notified at the same time."
"I chased them up at the same time every month and heard nothing, the only time I got a response from them was when I CC’d my local MP into a complaint I sent by email. We did not want a witch hunt but we wanted NHS England to see that there had been failures and address them so that other families wouldn’t have to go through the pain that we have."
Inquest findings
"It turned out the man who killed my brother had been brought to the ward on the Friday yet no risk assessment was done until the Tuesday. Also, at the time my brother was attacked, the most senior member of staff on the ward was a student nurse, there were 78 pages of recommendations in the report, it was damning."
Layla Batchelor, from HCC Solicitors, represented Martin at the inquest, and also said: "Mr Matthews was a beloved member of his family who, despite living on the other side of the UK, kept in close contact, speaking to his mother on the phone every week and travelling back to Dorset regularly."
"My client and his family have waited three years for the inquest into Mr Matthews's death. Despite a criminal investigation and a report by NHS England, they had so many questions outstanding, most of which have been answered now."
Responding to the findings of the inquest, an NHS England North East and Yorkshire spokesperson, added: "We extend our sincere condolences to Michael Matthews' family. NHS England accepted the findings of the independent investigation and worked with the Coroner to provide the information required throughout the inquest process."
