“Following an inspection in September 2025, the CQC has published their report into the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. This is an important and crucial report when considered in the context of the failures in the mental health care services associated with the attacks committed by Valdo Calocane given that he was under the care of the Trust at the time of the attack on 13 June 2023.
The survivors, Wayne Birkett and Sharon Miller, were only made aware of the existence of this report when approached by the press for comment. They were not consulted by the CQC or given advance notice of the report which directly refers to the attack. This lack of communication with the surviving victims is not new and cannot be allowed to continue. We will be writing to the CQC for an urgent meeting to understand why they were excluded from the process.
The report acknowledges the significant amount of scrutiny the Trust was under following the attack. Despite this, the CQC conclude that there remain significant and glaring problems in the mental health provision in Nottinghamshire. For the survivors, who deserve to have faith in the mental health provisions in Nottinghamshire, this is a deeply worrying assessment and they can’t help but be left with the feeling that nothing has been done to prevent a reoccurrence.
There continues to be serious system-level weaknesses as learning from incidents and risks are not consistently shared or embedded, undermining organisational learning. Due to missed contact with the mental health team, disengagement, and failed crisis response, people are left to ‘manage their mental health’ alone.
There are persistent staffing problems and pressure which directly link to reduced supervision, rushed assessment, poor documentation and missed warning signs. A culture of blame and fear of reprisals means that staff are afraid to speak out if they see a risk.
It is clear that a significant amount of work needs to be done to bring about the changes needed, which is why we will continue to liaise with local MPs and other stakeholders to ensure that any recommendations arising from the Inquiry are properly implemented.”
Read more about the Nottingham Attacks here.
