Georgina Hodson’s family calls her hospital treatment ‘very indifferent’
An “exceptionally bright” Oxford graduate took her own life after being placed alone in a taxi during a mental health crisis, an inquest has heard.
Georgina Hodson, 27, was sent from hospital to an assessment center in the back of a taxi, but diverted the taxi to her apartment, where she ended her life last April.
The day before she had suffered a mental health crisis and was taken by ambulance to St Thomas’ Hospital, south London, where she was seen by psychiatric nurse Ifeoma Onuorah.
Ms Onuorah broke down as she explained that the best treatment for Ms Hodson was considered to be a visit to the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) at St Charles Hospital in Kensington.
Following advice, she put Ms Hodson in an unescorted taxi to the west London facility, run by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, but she failed to confirm with the team there that she would arrive.
She said she was led to believe the assessment service had been informed of Ms Hodson’s arrival.
Ms Onuorah told the inquest: “I’m very sorry. In hindsight I should have told MHCAS myself and I should have arranged for her to have an escort or go in an ambulance.”
Kate Grimwade-Hodson, Mrs Hodson’s mother, said: “Georgie hated MHCAS. I spoke to her on the phone when she was in the hospital and she said she wasn’t going.
“Then she stopped answering my calls. If I had known, I would have gotten on a train and seen her.”
Georgina Hodson with her mother, Kate Grimwade-Hodson
Ms Hodson had told Ms Onuorah she did not intend to kill herself, but the nurse still had her concerns so, rather than send her away, she arranged for MHCAS to see her and arranged a taxi.
She had been described as being “ambivalent” about leaving, but Ms Onuorah had persuaded her.
Steven Badger, chief executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, told the inquest Ms Hodson should not have been sent in the taxi without the destination hospital being informed.
Becky Garnett-Buchma, Ms Hodson’s sister, said her treatment had been “very indifferent”.
She added: “I work in mental health, and if anyone who worked for me behaved like this, they would no longer work for me, they would be subject to disciplinary action and a referral.”
Nick Hodson, his father, said: “If staff don’t do their job properly then another family will have to go through what we went through. It’s absolutely reprehensible.”
Mr Hodson called the police to express how worried he was for his daughter that evening.
When PCs Joe Hedges and Gareth Baker went to her basement flat they were unable to get an answer but, after hearing the sound of running water coming from the property, they thought she was in the shower.
When they tried again 15 minutes later, they were able to enter and found Ms Hodson lying on the floor.
An ambulance arrived and she received CPR, but she was pronounced dead in the early hours of April 11.
A toxicology report revealed Ms Hodson had overdosed.
The inquest heard that Ms Hodson was born in Hunan province, China, before being adopted at the age of 20 months by the Hodsons, who live in Chester, Cheshire.
She achieved top marks in her A-levels at The King’s School, Chester, and studied philosophy and theology at Worcester College, Oxford.
However, she suffered from anxiety in high school and her mental health deteriorated during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had also been diagnosed with autism and anxiety.
Coroner Sophie Mortimer ruled his death a suicide.
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