Multiple rapist escaped hospital because staff couldn’t interpret politically correct letter
Politically correct NHS jargon used to avoid offending a rapist serving a life sentence may have led to him escaping from a hospital for the second time in under three years, an inquiry has found.
Staff at King’s College Hospital in south-east London may not have understood the risk posed by Terrence O’Keefe when he was taken there for medical treatment.
O’Keefe, 39, was being detained in a secure mental facility at Lambeth Hospital in south-west London after being convicted of a string of rapes.
When he was transferred to King’s College Hospital in February, he was described by his escort as a “medium secure patient”.
Terrence O’Keefe has been on the run since February
The vague language meant staff there may not have realised how dangerous he was, a report concluded.
O’Keefe fled the hospital when guards failed to handcuff him and has been on the run ever since. Police have warned that O’Keefe is “dangerous and should not be approached”.
The sex attacker had previously escaped from the same hospital in October 2005 and his brother, who is serving life for killing a homeless man, has also escaped from custody three times in the past.
The damning report by South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, which runs Lambeth Hospital, said: “Recent events have suggested that certain language such as ‘medium secure patient’ is not transferable in the understanding of the level of risk posed.”
The report concluded that the Trust needs to find a way of saying how dangerous a patient is without offending them.
It said: “Consideration therefore is required as to how we portray or use common language whilst remaining sensitive to the patient’s treatment needs.”
The inquiry found that procedures in place for transferring high-risk patients from Lambeth Hospital were inadequate.
It concluded that such procedures as there were did “not address public protection issues and risk of absconding behaviour.”
The report said that such patients should now routinely be handcuffed. The embarrassing report was briefly posted on the Trust’s website but was removed after it prompted media enquiries. The Trust has since refused to make a copy of the report available.
A Trust spokesman claimed the report had never been intended for publication because it contains confidential information about security at hospitals.
The spokesman said: “Language used in psychiatric services can sometimes be complicated.
“This has been highlighted in this report and will be something that we will consider as part of determining any changes to our policies and procedures and their language.”
Hilary McCallion, the Trust’s director of nursing and education, said: “As a result of this incident we immediately strengthened arrangements for transferring medium secure unit (MSU) patients to acute hospitals.
“This included increasing the number of staff, from two to four, responsible for escorting MSU patients.
“All MSU patients will now be individually assessed to determine the level of risk involved in transferring them, should this be necessary at any time.
“Where the risk assessment indicates that it is appropriate we will use a security guard trained in physical restraint to accompany clinical staff responsible for the escort.
“Each individual risk assessment will be peer reviewed and regularly updated.
“Clearly, it is important for us to learn from this incident and to ensure that our policies are in line with the best available elsewhere in the NHS.”
Police believe O’Keefe may be hiding in Liverpool, where he lived as a boy.
When he escaped in 2005, his freedom was short-lived as police arrested him after he was spotted in Liverpool the same evening.
Police have released CCTV footage and images of him being escorted around the hospital before his escape and urged anyone who spots him to dial 999 immediately.
O’Keefe’s brother Raymond Kennedy, 33, is also serving life for killing a homeless man in Liverpool in 1991. Amazingly, he has escaped from custody three times too.
Last September, Kennedy absconded from Sudbury prison in Derbyshire, 16 years into his life sentence.
He was caught three months later on Christmas Eve after returning to his Liverpool home for the festive season.
O’Keefe is described as a light-skinned black man with a shaved head who may be wearing glasses.
When last seen, he was wearing a green fleece jumper, black jeans and tan-coloured Timberland style boots.
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