Trust under investigation after failings in care come under scrutiny
The NHS body that provided care to Valdo Calocane before the June 2023 attacks in Nottingham is now at the centre of a criminal investigation into possible corporate manslaughter. The decision, announced this month, follows a public statutory inquiry earlier in the year which examined failings across a number of public bodies and individuals.
Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, was under the care of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust from 2020 until his discharge in September 2022. During that period he was detained under the Mental Health Act on four separate occasions. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder; he was given an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 and is being held in a high-security facility.
- 13 June 2023 — Calocane carried out fatal stabbings in Nottingham, killing three people and injuring several more.
- 2020–2022 — Period during which the trust provided care and Calocane was sectioned multiple times.
- September 2022 — Calocane discharged by the trust due to lack of engagement and the care team being unable to locate him.
- January 2024 — Sentenced to an indefinite hospital order following guilty pleas.
What the corporate manslaughter investigation means
A probe of this nature examines whether systemic failures at an organisation led to deaths and whether there was a gross breach of duty of care by the organisation as a whole. If prosecutors establish corporate manslaughter, the trust could face significant legal consequences, reputational damage and requirements to change how services are delivered. The investigation is distinct from, but runs alongside, public and regulatory scrutiny already applied to the trust.
"He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times."
The statutory public inquiry previously criticised shortcomings across multiple agencies in their handling of the case. That inquiry considered the history of violence and mental illness which emerged after the attacks and issued findings that increased public and official focus on how community mental health care is organised and resourced locally.
| Year | Key events |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia; engagement with the trust begins |
| 2020–2022 | Four detentions under the Mental Health Act while under trust care |
| September 2022 | Discharged from trust care due to lack of engagement and inability to locate him |
| 13 June 2023 | Fatal attacks in Nottingham |
| January 2024 | Indefinite hospital order imposed following guilty pleas |
Local consequences and questions for services
For Nottingham residents the investigation raises immediate questions about the safety and reliability of local mental health services, the effectiveness of follow-up when patients disengage from care, and how different agencies communicate when people are lost to follow-up.
Families and community groups affected by the 2023 events have repeatedly called for answers about what went wrong. The criminal investigation will focus on whether organisational systems and practices carried deficiencies that directly contributed to the deaths. That process will move at its own pace, independent of previous inquiries and any civil or regulatory actions.
The trust now faces parallel scrutiny: the ongoing criminal probe, the findings and recommendations already made by the public inquiry, and continued public debate about funding, staffing and protocols in community mental health services. For councillors, NHS managers and local clinicians, the outcome will shape how services are organised and governed across Nottinghamshire.
Residents seeking information should expect further statements from the trust and prosecuting authorities as the investigation progresses. The case underscores enduring tensions between patient confidentiality, the duty to protect the public and the responsibilities of organisations delivering mental health care.
