Figueiredo, 22, died in 2015 while a mental health inpatient at Goodmayes Hospital, run by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT). She had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and an eating disorder, and a history of self-harm. Despite 18 attempts to harm herself with plastic bin liners, these were not removed from the ward, with fatal consequences for Figueiredo.
The verdict, delivered at the Old Bailey this week, followed 24 days of deliberation by the jury, the joint-longest in English legal history.
James Broomhall, senior associate at Grosvenor Law, said: ‘This case highlights the difficulty of establishing criminal liability for institutional failings, even when there is evidence of repeated and documented lapses.
‘It also raises important questions about patient autonomy, clinical judgment, and the limits of individual responsibility in high-pressure healthcare environments. The jury’s 125 hours of deliberation reflect the legal and factual complexity involved in prosecuting systemic failings in mental health care.
‘That this was only the second corporate manslaughter case brought against an NHS trust illustrates how rarely the law is used in this context. While accountability remains vital, there is also a risk that criminal proceedings, particularly against individual staff, could deter professionals from entering or staying in the mental health sector.’
Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST, said: ‘Alice’s death is the result of repeated failings within NELFT and a culture of neglect and complacency at management level that continues to endanger lives.
‘This was a death forewarned by her mother. This is also about the systemic failures that pervade our mental health services across the country and the lack of consequences for those in charge.’
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