The Tragic Case Of Ashleigh Ewing

In 2006, mental health worker Ashleigh Ewing was brutally killed whilst out working alone on behalf of her employer, Mental Health Matters. Ashleigh was stabbed 39 times by Ronald Dixon when she made a routine visit to his home in Newcastle.

22 year old graduate Ashleigh lost her life after being sent alone to Dixon’s home with a debtor’s letter ordering him to pay for a phone which he had smashed inside the property.

According to the independent report, Ashleigh should never have been sent alone.

Dixon had a long history regarding his mental health state and had previously been arrested multiple times for violent offences, including attacking his parents with a hammer.

In May 2013, a report by an independent panel concluded that a “more robust approach” to Dixon’s care would have resulted in a review as to how appropriate lone visits to Dixon’s home were.

The coroner, David Mitford criticised Mental Health Matters saying the risk, which was evidently high, was not properly assessed. The fact that so much was known about Dixon’s previous behaviour before Ashleigh’s death led to many demanding answers about what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

The independent report commissioned in 2013 and chaired by barrister Joseph O’Brien, came to the same conclusions. “The panel is of the clear view that if a reassessment of risk had taken place, lone working would have ceased prior to May 19, 2006.”

Changes To Lone Working

Since Ashleigh’s death, Dr Rajesh Nadkarni of the local Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, has vowed that the tragic events have “led to significant improvements in practice.”. He added "This tragedy continues to influence how we assess risk and how we investigate and learn from incidents.”

“Another improvement to come out of this tragedy has been the work done to ensure the safety of ‘lone workers’. Although Ashleigh didn’t work for us, her death caused us to consider and review how best we can safeguard staff during home visits.”

Lone working in general has become more prevalent in the last decade across all industries and sectors as organisations have cut costs in times of budgetary restraints - especially in the public sector where funding has continually been squeezed.

With legislative penalties on the increase (major companies convicted of corporate manslaughter will face fines of up to £20m under sentencing guidelines), never has the duty of care to all employees – whether they work alone or not - been so important.

Communication

With advances in technology, specifically in communications, contact with lone workers has never been easier. In 2006, the iPhone hadn’t even been launched and smartphones were the stuff of dreams.

Apps, 4G coverage and touchscreen technology have vastly improved where we can communicate and the speed of communication.

Violent attacks will unfortunately always continue to happen. But equipping lone workers with a ‘buddy system’ or a means to easily call for help in an emergency can save lives. It’s a tragic shame that it’s all come too late for Ashleigh; however, her legacy has certainly improved lone working practices and for that, she will always be remembered.

As Nadkarni concludes,

“I hope it may be some small comfort to Ashleigh’s family that her death has brought about real changes and improvement in practice that will reduce the potential for such devastating and life-changing events occurring in the future.”