The region's troubled mental health trust has launched a recruitment drive and ramped up staff training following the tragic death of one of its patients.

Christopher Sidle died in hospital in July last year, three days after throwing himself from a moving taxi on the NDR near Norwich, during a psychotic episode.

An inquest into his death earlier this year heard the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust had missed a range of opportunities to escalate his care - prompting coroner Jacqueline Lake to publish a report to prevent future deaths (PFD).

Her concerns centred around these missed opportunities, including fears there is still a "lack of understanding" within the trust's crisis resolution and home treatment team (CRHTT).

In a written response to the coroner's report, Caroline Donovan, NSFT's chief executive, said the case had sparked a number of actions from the trust.

Eastern Daily Press: Caroline Donovan, chief executive of NSFTCaroline Donovan, chief executive of NSFT (Image: NSFT)

She said these included a new recruitment drive seeking experienced clinicians to join the CRHTT and a ramped-up training programme for these workers.

She wrote: "In response to this incident and as presented at inquest the trust has developed a core competency framework for CHRT assessors to undertake.

"In April 2024, a recruitment and retention project was launched for CRHTT - this project will attempt to recruit qualified and experienced clinicians.

"Recruitment began on May 6 and four nurses are in the process of being recruited with expected start dates of July 1. Recruitment will continue until all posts have been filled."

Mr Sidle, 51, was a former government climate change advisor, who was living in North Walsham at the time of his death.

He died in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on July 4, 2023, having suffered serious injuries during the incident on the NDR three days earlier.

Mrs Donovan added: "The tragic death of Mr Sidle has been a key learning point for the trust."