THE family of a woman killed when she ran out in front of a lorry on the M32 claim she was "let down" by community mental health services.
Kathleen Rogers, who was 29, died on the motorway between the Hambrook and Eastville junctions on March 16 last year.
An inquest held at Flax Bourton Coroner's Court yesterday heard that the mother-of-two, who lived in Brockworth, Yate, had suffered depression on and off since 1999.
Avon Coroner Maria Voisin heard that Ms Rogers went to her doctor in 2010, again suffering from depression, and was referred to the South Gloucestershire Crisis Team and the Yate Community Team run by the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
The court heard Ms Rogers had tried to take her life before.
A statement read from her friend Martin Thomas explained that on the morning of her death he found her with a ligature around her neck. He telephoned Yate Community Team to ask for more medication and was told to ring 999. Ms Rogers was then taken by ambulance to the A&E department of Frenchay Hospital.
Ms Rogers' friend Jay Thorely, who went to wait with her at the hospital, said she kept trying to leave and became anxious. She then saw Dr Christopher Bryden, who referred her to the hospital's mental health liaison team and asked her to wait.
Dr Bryden said she had been compliant but had told him that if she was sent home she would harm herself. He said he had not thought he needed to ask a nurse to sit with her, and had no powers to try to detain her.
The court heard that no details of Ms Rogers' mental history had been passed to the doctor from Yate Community team, which had also not informed the hospital that she was being taken there.
Ms Thorely said she managed to persuade Ms Rogers to stay several times but when they went outside Ms Rogers ran away and Ms Thorely could not catch her. The inquest heard that 15 minutes later Ms Rogers had run into the path of a truck. She was brought back to Frenchay's A&E for resuscitation but declared dead.
Ms Voisin concluded that Ms Rogers took her own life while the balance of her mind was disturbed.
She said she was considering writing a report looking at the referral of mental health patients into A&E and communication between the two health trusts involved.
Afterwards Ms Rogers' sister Kelly Rogers told the Evening Post: "Kathleen was a bubbly, caring and loving person who happened to get depression and couldn't get out of it. She couldn't get the right help and couldn't see another way forward – she didn't know where to turn.
"She was let down by the mental health teams – if her depression had been treated properly earlier we don't think this would have happened."
A spokesman for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Kathleen Rogers. At the family's request, the coroner considered the possibility of neglect and found no evidence to support this and made no criticism of our staff.
"In view of the comments made about communication between our crisis team and the A&E department at Frenchay Hospital, we will provide the coroner with further clarification as requested."
luxor las vegas americas best value inn ocean city maryland hotels
No comments:
Post a Comment