Inquest told boss of Met Officer found dead at home had no formal PTSD training
Nicola Forster, 45, who trained officers at Hendon Police College in north London, was discovered at her home in Biggleswade September 2022.
The boss of a Metropolitan Police trainer who was found dead had no formal training on how to deal with officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an inquest heard.
Nicola Forster, 45, who trained officers at Hendon Police College in north London, was discovered at her home in September 2022.
Ms Forster had said to colleagues that her line manager, Inspector Hayley Webb, was "out to get her" and that she failed to act on requests for an occupational health referral over her mental health problems, Bedfordshire Coroner's Court heard.
She developed PTSD as a result of her work during the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, and had been suffering with anxiety and depression, coroner Emma Whitting was told.
At the inquest on Wednesday, Ms Forster's partner Dr Amy Popple asked Inspector Webb if she had been trained on how to deal with someone suffering with PTSD.
The officer responded: "There was no formal training for us around PTSD."
Inspector Webb was not aware of Ms Forster's involvement in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire until a meeting with her on August 1 2022, the inquest heard.
The officer said that if had she known about the issues earlier then her decision-making may have been different.
The welfare meeting was held following a negative performance review, which Inspector Webb brought up, causing Ms Forster to become upset.
Sergeant Timothy Clarke, a Police Federation representative who was present, said he deemed it inappropriate for this to be raised during the meeting, the inquest heard.
Asked why this was brought up, Inspector Webb said: "It was a discussion around (the performance review) to see whether it was a trigger which caused her to be upset."
Inspector Webb maintained that her aim was to help Ms Forster improve her performance levels.
Dr Mervi Pitkanen, who assessed Ms Forster in July 2022, said the officer had displayed signs of anxiety and poor mental health but she did not consider her to have a "high risk of suicide", the inquest heard.
The coroner was also told that on two occasions in 2021, Inspector Webb spoke to Ms Forster over concerns that there were not enough staff providing training to officers at the college.
Ms Forster was in tears after one conversation with Inspector Webb, also saying that another chat left her feeling "undervalued", physically vomiting and anxious, the inquest was told.
Inspector Webb said this was something she was "unaware of" at the time.
In May 2022, Inspector Webb spoke to staff at the college over Ms Forster's work performance, and held a meeting with them without telling her, the coroner was told.
One of those who spoke to Inspector Webb said in his witness statement that he believed Ms Forster "needed more mental health support from the Met", the inquest heard
Inspector Webb said that the Pc never communicated this to her, though he had raised concerns about Ms Forster's management.
Another Pc said staff at the college felt "guilt" after Ms Forster's death as they had been concerned about her performance.
Ms Forster, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees, had been signed off from work due to mental health struggles for approximately three months before her death, and had medication prescribed by her GP.
In a Facebook post in July 2022, she wrote that Inspector Webb did not view her work performance as being related to her illnesses.
Asked if this was how she saw things, Inspector Webb responded: "That's not true at all, that would have been Nikki's perception and not my belief."
The night before her death, Ms Forster told Ms Popple that she was struggling to sleep, the inquest heard.
She was found dead in her house in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, by Ms Popple on September 28 2022.
The house was "immaculately clean and tidy", the beds were made and no suicide note was left, the coroner's officer wrote in her report.
The inquest continues.