London - A vulnerable woman died in a secure unit after two mental health nurses skipped six observation checks as they were too busy playing on their phones, a court heard.
Nurses Rory McDermott, 32, and Naomi Prestidge, 31, were seen on CCTV with their feet up, browsing the internet for holidays and playing music on their phones instead of doing their jobs, the trial was told. Opening the prosecution at Royal Court in Guernsey, Chris Dunford said the last check had been done at 1am. Prestidge only discovered that Miss Ellis was dead by chance at 2.42am. This meant all six checks prior had been missed, he added.
Miss Ellis, who was a mental health campaigner, had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder. She was admitted to the Oberlands Mental Health Centre in Guernsey voluntarily the day before her death after her self-harming had escalated to contain suicidal urges. Both also knew Miss Ellis and how seriously she would self-harm, he added. The court heard that, from about 1am, both defendants could be seen on CCTV sitting in the staff room for a considerable period and engaging with one another.