'No quick fixes' to organisations criticised in wake of the death of Christina Edkins, Government warns

Speaking in Parliament, Health Minister Norman Lamb said improvements were being made inside the agencies highlighted in a report which described the 16-year-old's death as preventable.

Christina was stabbed to death by Philip Simelane while she was on a bus travelling through Birmingham to Leasowes School in Halesowen on March 7 last year.

The report by Dr Alison Reed, on behalf of Birmingham CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group, uncovered failings by the police, prison service and NHS.

It found the sharing of patient information to be adequate.

Simelane, who had a history of mental health problems, was released from prison before killing Christina with no future appointments, and with just three days of anti-psychotic medication.

A paranoid schizophrenic, Simelane was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and detained indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital.

Mr Lamb said: "The system has let down that family as well as the victim's family, and one's heart goes out to his mother for what she must have gone through, having tried so hard to get help over many years.

"Nothing we can do can return Christina to her family, but we can ensure that lessons are learned and that appropriate action is taken to prevent, as far as is humanly possible, any similar event from happening again."

But he added: "Organisations with a responsibility to care for vulnerable people and to protect the public must be able to work effectively together.

"Dr Reed's report was only published in September and there will be no quick fixes for the organisations involved in this case.

"We expect NHS England to work with all the NHS providers involved to ensure that they address the recommendations in the report."

Mr Lamb said he was considering the 51 recommendations made in the report. It comes after the family of Christina call for a further independent inquiry into what happened.

Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP James Morris told Mr Lamb: "The family of Christina Edkins has written to NHS England to raise concerns and to ask whether a further independent inquiry is needed."

He added: "In the end, nothing will diminish the pain and anguish suffered by the family of Christina Edkins, but those in positions of public responsibility should now do everything they can to ensure that the tragic circumstances of this case are not repeated."

Following the report by Dr Reed, The Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has introduced measures to ensure patients are not discharged after simply failing to make an appointment.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust now carry out full checks are carried out on prisoners and their history if any concerns are raised of mental health.