Report finds failings in care of Plymouth woman who starved to death
A report reviewing the case of a woman with a mental illness who died five years ago has found there were failings in her care.
Ruth Mitchell was found lying on the bare boards, starved to death, with only the clothes on her back in her St Budeaux home in 2012.
She had been without hot water and heating for four years. She was last seen by a mental health professional eight months before.
Ruth had been under the care of mental health services, but her care package had been stepped down so that no one ever visited her at home in Plymouth. Her psychiatric outpatient appointments were also reduced.
The report says there was no sense of Ruth "as a person" and that in her case, "agencies worked very separately and shared no information".
ITV West Country spoke to the Chief Executive of Livewell Southwest, who has acknowledged that there had been failings in her care:
The Vice Chair of Plymouth's Safeguarding Board described Ruth's case as a tragedy from which lessons had to be learned.
While Ruth's parents welcome the report, they not happy with how long it has taken for t failings in Ruth's care to be properly acknowledged.
Russell Mitchell, himself a senior policeman, is now planning to write to the Chief Constable to ask them to look at a case for corporate manslaughter.
Livewell South West have said they would cooperate with any investigation, should one happen.