A police trainer tragically died after her employer's actions exacerbated her mental health issues, an inquest heard.
Nicola 'Nikki' Forster, 45, was a safety training officer for the Metropolitan Police at Hendon Police College in north London, and was found dead at her home in September 2022.
She developed PTSD due to her work during the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and had been living with anxiety and depression, Central Bedfordshire Coroner's Court previously heard.
Concluding an inquest into her death at the same court on Monday, coroner Emma Whitting stated that line management decisions had led to "a further significant deterioration" in Ms Forster's mental health.
The coroner also discovered that Ms Forster could have been referred to occupational health for support and counselling at an earlier stage.
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Ms Forster had expressed to colleagues that her line manager was "out to get her" and that she failed to act on requests for an occupational health referral, the inquest previously heard.
In text messages to colleagues, Ms Forster had also labelled her manager as a bully who was "gunning" for her.
Delivering her findings, Ms Whitting said: "It is clear to the court that the Metropolitan Police service (MPS) was aware of Nikki's mental health history and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the MPS knew or could have discovered that her PTSD was work-related.
"Following Nikki's decline in her mental health, there were opportunities for Nikki to have been referred to OH at an earlier stage for support and counselling.
"Line management decisions regarding Nikki reflected a focus on managing upwards and were supported by the senior leadership team; these were at the expense of Nikki's personal and occupational welfare which contributed to a further significant deterioration in her mental health and, ultimately, to her death."
The coroner added the worsening of Ms Forster's mental health was "exacerbated" by the actions of her employer. Ms Forster's mental health declined from autumn 2021, when she found herself under increasing pressure at work and had lost access to counselling, the inquest heard.
An occupational health referral was discussed with her line manager in November 2021, but was not progressed until May 2022, when she was also issued with informal management action.
During an absence review on July 20 2022, Ms Forster told a welfare officer that receiving a "not performing" grade on her recent performance review had "tipped her over the edge", the court heard.
Ms Forster, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees, had been signed off from work approximately three months before her death, and had medication prescribed by her GP.
On September 6, 2022, her line manager informed the inquest that she had told the senior leadership team that Ms Forster's PTSD was not work-related and "should not attract favourable discretion", and as a result, her pay should not be extended.
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The evening before she died, the inquest heard that Ms Forster had reported to her partner, Dr Amy Popple, that she was having difficulty sleeping.
For mental support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit to find your nearest branch.
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