London homeless hostel failed vulnerable resident in multiple ways before fatal overdose, review says
An award-winning homeless hostel in the constituency of the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has been lambasted after an independent investigation into the death of one of its residents.Joe Black, 39, died after a drug overdose in 2023 at Holmes Road Studios in Camden, north London.He was a talented musician who had studied at the Royal Northern College of Music as a child.The hostel, which won a prestigious award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and boasted a zero-tolerance policy to drugs, was created for single homeless people with support needs.But residents told the Guardian that it was “like a legalised crack den” where drugs were consumed and sold on site.
They alleged staff turned a blind eye to dealing and offered little in the way of support.The Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR), a multi-agency process that examines cases where an adult with care and support needs has experienced serious harm or death due to abuse or neglect, concluded that Black was failed in multiple ways.Black had been cuckooed in his previous residence, with drug dealers taking over his flat and threatening to kill him.Despite this and a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance misuse, the SAR states that “his vulnerability does not appear to have been fully recognised”.A case note at the time that Black moved into Holmes Road says that although he had not taken drugs since the cuckooing, he “might be tempted back into drug use by other residents who may still be users” was ignored.
The review said this “should have been seen as a theme throughout Joe’s support planning and risk assessments whilst he was at Holmes Road’’,The hostel was criticised for not referring him for a care needs assessment to see whether Black needed a care coordinator (he had previously had one when living in another London borough), not treating his schizophrenia and substance misuse in tandem, not working effectively with him or his mother, not referring him to the national drug and alcohol service, and classifying him as “medium risk” only a month before he died,“The risk was clearly ‘high’ given his death so soon after,” it concluded,The review said that the hostel did not make it clear what service and support it offered,“A Google search will show the architectural merits of the hostel, but not the services and support offered,” it stated.
At the inquest into Black’s death in December 2024, Black’s key worker at Holmes Road said that he was known to be “very active in the hostel at night procuring substances”, and that staff knew he “spent all his money on drugs”.The key worker also acknowledged that after a safeguarding incident in March 2023, he was known to be “extremely vulnerable and being exploited in the hostel” yet no action was taken to escalate concern or further support.The coroner found that naloxone, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose if administered in time, was locked in the office and only available through Camden’s drug and alcohol services.After the inquest, he wrote a prevention of future deaths report suggesting naloxone should be made more readily available.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionA Camden council spokesperson said: “We will take on the learning from the review, which will help us work with our partners in a more coordinated and effective way to improve the support Camden residents receive.
In addition to the recommendations in Joe’s safeguarding review, we have made improvements to the operation of Holmes Road hostel in the last year and agreed a plan for further improvements to support residents living in our hostels,”The spokesperson added: “We have a zero-tolerance approach to drug dealing and while some residents who come to the hostel may be using drugs, we provide drug intervention services to help and support them,”In a statement to the review, Black’s family said: “On day one at the Holmes Road hostel, Joe sent a message to his mother, Jude, saying that it was ‘hell on earth for me’ there,His words, ‘I am going to die here, mum’ will haunt her forevermore,”The family added: “We sincerely hope that the recommendations of this Safeguarding Adults Review are urgently put in place in Joe’s memory and that they will have a positive, lasting impact on the care and support for vulnerable adults with a complex mental illness.
We remain devastated by Joe’s death and do not want any other family to endure such a tragic loss and the deepest grief,”
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I’m rolling these gnocchi out of yesterday’s leftover baked potato and feeling rather chuffed with myself, because when you’re able to cut out a step from a normally scratch-cook dish such as gnocchi, it makes life easier. Crisp up the leftover potato skins in a pan with sea salt to enjoy as a snack, or freeze them for making loaded potato skins (recipe coming next week).A great way to make extra-flavourful fluffy pillows of gnocchi is to make them with leftover baked potato. Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them reduces their moisture content, meaning less flour is required, which in turn results in a lighter, less pasty gnocchi. Leftover baked potato also saves about an hour of prep time
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I am limited to one pan and a burner when I camp. What would chefs recommend making?Maxwell, by email Happy campers need supplies, and Ryan Cole, executive chef and co-owner of Salsify at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay, South Africa, doesn’t mess about. “We have three square boxes: one dedicated to dry goods, one to oil, salt, pepper and utensils, and the third to camping toiletries; we also have a dual compartment fridge-freezer.”Whatever your set-up, a considered mobile store-cupboard of spices, stock cubes, good oil, grains, pasta, tins of coconut milk and the like will really come into its own. Got tinned tomatoes? Make shakshuka for a campside breakfast
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