Mental health homicide support

On this page you will find copies of materials intended to support families bereaved by mental health homicides and the staff working in mental health when a MH related homicide occurs. These written materials are accompanied by podcasts that reflect the experience of mental health-related homicide from a range of perspectives.

For those families bereaved by mental health related homicide the devastation is unique and made worse by the suddenness of the event and knowledge of the circumstances.  This emotional trauma will have a long-lasting impact on the immediate family, which can include children, and those around them including wider family and friends.

As well as having to contend with their loss, families must deal with the immediate aftermath: the media, the Police investigation and the criminal justice process which can take years. There are long lasting consequences for families’ mental and physical health and often they need support from the very system that they may perceive has failed them. They come to the NHS looking for information and answers and services need to be prepared to respond with openness and honesty and support tailored to their needs.

Mental Health Provider staff who have cared for the alleged perpetrator and/or victim will need support following an incident of this kind.   The impact on staff can be profound and they may require additional support throughout the process too.

We appreciate that all situations and organisations are different and that one size does not fit all, to help achieve a consistent approach in supporting families and staff following a mental health-related homicide we have developed a set of principles and activities that families and people who work in the system have said help and some information for families about what to expect.

NHS England London has developed these materials in collaboration with the families of victims of mental health related homicide, the families of alleged perpetrators, voluntary/charity and advocacy organisations, NHS Resolution, NHS organisations, Metropolitan Police Service and Independent Investigators.

Families and staff have been incredibly generous by sharing insights at workshops, in interviews and by contributing content.  We would like to thank them for the time they have taken to help us to create these materials.

We hope the materials will help us to provide meaningful support to those affected by incidents of this kind.

Information for Mental Health Providers – This document is intended to help Mental Health Providers to support families and staff following a suspected mental health-related homicide.

Information for families of victims following a mental health-related homicide – This booklet is intended to help families of the victim understand what they can expect from the Mental Health Provider where the alleged perpetrator was cared for.

Information for families of the alleged perpetrator of a mental health-related homicide – This booklet is intended to help families of the alleged perpetrator understand what they can expect from the Mental Health Provider where their relative was cared for.

 

 

 

This project has been made in collaboration with Uberology.

For any questions regarding the content on this page, please contact the London Investigations Team – england.londoninvestigations@nhs.net