An inquest jury has ruled that a 14-year-old girl, left unsupervised at a mental health hospital despite needing constant monitoring, was unlawfully killed.
Ruth Szymankiewicz, from Salisbury, had been under the care of Huntercombe Hospital near Maidenhead, Berkshire, on 12 February 2022. She was monitored by an agency staff member on his first shift, who was later found to have used false documents to get the job and had no prior experience in psychiatric care. Ruth was left alone for around 15 minutes, during which she was able to walk around the facility and return to her room. She was found unconscious shortly after and died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Ruth, who had been receiving treatment for an eating disorder, was transferred to Huntercombe in October 2021. The hospital, rated “inadequate” and later “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission that year, has since closed.
On the night of the incident, more than half of the ward’s staff were absent, and the inexperienced agency worker, identified as Ebo Acheampong, was brought in to supervise her. CCTV footage showed him leaving the TV room before Ruth went to her bedroom. Acheampong later fled the UK to Ghana. Thames Valley Police investigated but did not bring charges.
The jury concluded that poor staff training, unsuitable care, lack of safeguards against harmful online content, and restrictive visiting rules were among the factors contributing to Ruth’s death.
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Her parents, Kate and Mark Szymankiewicz, both medical professionals, expressed deep grief, describing her as a “bright, loving, and adventurous girl” and criticising the system that failed to protect her. They hope her story will prompt reform in children’s mental health services.
INQUEST, which supported the family, called the findings a “stark indictment” of privatised children’s mental health care, warning of ongoing risks from lack of accountability.
The Active Care Group, which ran the hospital, said it was “disappointed” that the recruitment agency failed to detect the forged documents and confirmed it no longer works with them. The group expressed regret over Ruth’s death and said it has since made significant safety and quality improvements across its services.