Tony Hutchinson was only 59 when he took his own life. He had complex mental health problems and during the 24 hours leading up to his fatal overdose on 2nd December 2015, he was discharged twice from Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield without a Mental Health Act assessment being undertaken or a home visit being arranged with the Crisis Team on discharge.
Tony was retired British veteran and fought in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, witnessing the bombs and brutality of the conflict. He left the forces in 1992 after 22 years of dedicated service and was subsequently diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).
Following an inquest in November 2017, Wendy pursued a claim for compensation against South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust for their failures in care. After a lengthy legal case, in September this year, the Trust settled. For nearly 10 years she has been fighting for justice for Tony which has been emotionally challenging and frustrating in equal measure. She believes there needs to be greater understanding and training for medical practitioners on the complexities of mental health issues resulting from their experiences during military service.
Tony Hutchinson’s story
Tony rose to the rank of Colour Sargeant while in the British Army. But during his final tour of Northern Ireland, he began to suffer with stress.
In 1992, Tony took a redundancy from the British Army due to concern he would not be able to face another tour of Northern Ireland. He collapsed with a stress-related illness during a course in Aldershot to retrain for civilian life. Overall, Tony served in the British Army for 22 years, retiring in 1992.
Tony’s first signs of PTSD began when the couple moved to Wakefield and he took on a job as a service engineer. He would panic in customer’s homes and Wendy would have to go to collect him.
Following regular visits to his GP, in about 1995 he suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to Fieldhead Hospital. The hospital did not diagnose PTSD, instead pointing to alcoholism as the cause. It wasn’t until Wendy contacted the organisation, Combat Stress, when Tony was diagnosed with CPTSD at their Gloucester facility. Combat Stress are the only organisation in the UK to provide mental health treatment service to UK veterans.
The 24 hours before Tony Hutchinson’s death
On 2nd December, 2015, Tony took an overdose following two separate occasions of attending A+E where he sought help after expressing suicidal thoughts. On both occasions, he was discharged without any support in place for his return home. This overdose resulted in his death. Before his passing, Wendy found him at home, where we said that he thought ‘no-one was helping him’ so he wanted to die.
Tony was discharged from hospital twice within 24 hours with SWYP failing to put in place the correct safety netting to ensure Tony was looked after upon returning home. This was despite the fact he was a war veteran with CPTSD.
Upon Tony’s first discharge from A+E, Wendy consistently rang the mental health services to get someone to come to their home and help Tony. He was still expressing suicidal thought, but still no one came to the home to assist him. After this he returned to A+E, but was once again discharged without a crisis team being put in place for him.
Wendy believed that Tony’s history of mental health and military service was not taken into account. During those last 24 hours, the hospital’s system was down, meaning not all his records were accessible.
Inquest and Claim
At an Inquest into Tony’s death, held in November 2017, the Coroner returned a verdict of ‘misadventure’, rather than ‘suicide’ on the basis that Tony had made no previous attempts at suicide and only one previous incident of self-harm.
After many years engaged in litigation with the Trust, in September 2024 Wendy’s claim for compensation was finally settled, albeit with no admission of liability. Wendy is upset that there is no formal acknowledgement or apology from the Trust for what happened.
Rates of CPTSD Among UK Veterans
Recent government data from the UK Ministry of Defence has shown it is estimated that around 7-8% of UK military veterans experience PTSD or CPTSD. However, Combat Stress, a UK charity supporting veterans with mental health issues found that among veterans who sought help from UK mental health services, believes that the rates of PTSD may be as high as 17-20%.
CPTSD includes more severe and complex symptoms, often related to prolonged trauma, and the prevalence of this condition is less well-studied, but it is known to occur in a smaller percentage of veterans who experienced long-term exposure to trauma.
Statement from Wendy Hutchinson, wife of Tony Hutchinson
“Military trauma destroys lives, and there needs to be greater understanding from clinicians as to the complexities of mental health issues resulting from the experiences of those in military service. Tony was dismissed as an alcoholic, when in fact he was desperate for specialist mental health support and interventions. The South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust didn’t have the proper systems in place to help him, either in terms of an assessment or treatment.
“I can only hope that the Trust, and all Trusts, learns from their mistakes, as there are many people across the country struggling today as Tony did.”
Statement from senior solicitor, Lynsey Furley of Medical Solicitors
“These last 9 years have been incredibly challenging for Wendy, and while her recent settlement with the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is a weight lifted for her, she feels incredibly let down by them. The fact that they have settled her claim with no admission of liability also adds insult to injury.
“The failure to conduct a Mental Health Act assessment was a categorical error. Without it, no safety netting was provided for Tony, which very well could have changed the course of those 24 hours before he took his own life.
“Wendy’s strength and resilience over these last few years is an inspiration and she hope that lessons will be learned at the Trust. “
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