A Preventable Death: Diana Grant and the Failures of Sodexo UK Limited

The tragic death of Diana Ocean Grant in November 2021 is a stark reminder of how vulnerable people with severe mental health conditions continue to be failed by the very systems meant to protect them.

Diana, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2002, suffered a relapse in late 2021. Despite clear warning signs reported by her mother and professionals, she was not given the urgent mental health assessment she needed. Instead, she was moved through a chain of institutions — from hospital to police custody to prison — without the safeguards that could have saved her life.

The coroner’s Regulation 28 Report highlights multiple failings. The Community Mental Health Team delayed urgent review. The Psychiatric Liaison Team at St. Mary’s Hospital failed to request a Mental Health Act assessment. The Liaison and Diversion Service at Colindale Police Station did not secure an assessment either. Finally, at HMP Bronzefield, Sodexo Limited and CNWL NHS Foundation staff failed to act on urgent warnings. Diana was not placed in the healthcare unit, nor was an ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) process opened.

These omissions proved fatal. On her first night in custody, Diana was left in an ordinary cell, screaming and unsettled. By the next evening, she was dead — having suffocated after placing a foreign object in her mouth while in psychosis.

The coroner’s report makes clear that Diana’s death was “probably contributed to more than minimally” by these failures. Sodexo Limited, responsible for prison operations, and CNWL NHS Foundation staff at Bronzefield are singled out for their inability to follow protocols and safeguard a woman in crisis.

This case is not isolated. It reflects systemic issues: lack of secure mental health unit capacity, poor communication between services, and prisons being used as holding spaces for people who need hospital care.

Diana’s death should never have happened. It is a call to action for reform, accountability, and compassion.

Opinion article by The View.