‘The Services Provided to Them Four Years Ago Would Not Have Been Good Enough for a Member of My Family, and They Were Certainly Not Good Enough for the Taylor Family’ – Alan Hall

HEALTH chiefs yesterday apologised to the Taylor family for failing them and said the tragic killing had affected them personally.

Ian Dalton, chief executive of NHS North-East, the region’s strategic health authority, was asked if the death of Mr Johnson was on his conscience.

He said: “His death is a tragedy and I feel it personally.

“My thoughts are with his family, but on a personal level I feel desperately sad that the NHS has failed and equally determined that it is improved.”

Alan Hall, chief executive of the then South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health Trust and current chief executive of newly merged Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Trust, denied he had blood on his hands, but said: “I can understand people taking that view.”

He added: “I don’t take that view. Clearly I am very concerned in terms of these issues. They do have a personal impact.

“There was someone found guilty of Mr Johnson’s manslaughter who was also let down by the service. All these things I take very seriously and these things are foremost in my mind every working day.”

He said staff were appalled by what had happened and passed on his condolences to the Johnson family.

“I would like to apologise to the Taylor family.

The services provided to them four years ago would not have been good enough for a member of my family, and they were certainly not good enough for the Taylor family.” He added: “My responsibility is to ensure that the organisation takes forward the recommendations and continues with the improvements that have already been made to reassure the local public that they receive the level of care and support they can routinely expect from the NHS.”

A consultant responsible for the care of Taylor has been referred to the General Medical Council for possible disciplinary action.

No further action has been taken.

(c) 2007 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.