How lack of care and facilities killed 3 teenagers at a mental health hospital in UK

Teen trio death at mental hospital

North East Hospitals made 120 mistakes in the treatment of three teens who committed suicide in Trust’s hospitals. Let’s see how did the teen trio die and how lack of care and facilities killed 3 teenagers at a mental health hospital in UK.

How did the teen trio die?

In West Lane, three teens died at the Trust’s hospitals due to mistakes made in the hospital. Following the passing of teens, Nadia Sharif, 17, Christie Harnett, 17, and Emily Moore, 18, the investigation was initiated.

Three adolescent girls died in mental health hospitals in the North East months apart, and an independent investigation found 120 errors in their care. These errors became the reason for the teen trio die.

The TEWV had been treating teenage girls for several years previous to their deaths in 2019 and 2020. They were all West Lane Hospital’s patients in Middlesbrough which was later shut down.

What was the reason behind the teen’s death?

Eight months before the pandemic, the mental hospital’s lack of care made the teen trio die. Christie Harnett, 17, Nadia Sharif, 17, and Emily Moore, 18, passed away in Trust’s hospitals. Following the passing of the trio, NHS England requested an investigation into the Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV).

The reports, commissioned by NHS England and published concurrently, identified a startling 120 errors in their care as well as ‘systemic’ problems inside the Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust (TEWV) that contributed to the adolescents’ deaths.

It was discovered that the “unstable and overstretched services” at West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough, where all three individuals were receiving treatment for mental health issues, were among the “root causes” of Christie and Nadia’s deaths. The teen trio die

Today, the three girls’ families joined forces to demand a public investigation. Let’s see each person’s case in detail.

Christie Harnett

Christie Harnett

Two years ago, Christie Harnett, 17, was first referred to the eating problem unit of the NHS trust. She lost weight due to improper diet and was later hospitalized under the Mental Health Act for self-harming and hostile behavior.

Her family describes her as intellectually gifted, with a talent for art and a passion for musicals and shopping. An independent Manchester-based consultancy’s assessment identified 20 issues with “service delivery” and 29 issues with “care delivery” that may have contributed to her suicide in June 2019.

Risk assessment, record-keeping, care planning, community support, failings in safeguarding at West Lane Hospital, where she self-harmed, and a lack of workers with the necessary abilities were some of the errors.

Nadia Sharif

Nadia Sharif

Nadia Sharif, 17, who had Asperger’s Syndrome, committed herself after spending five years in the trust’s custody. The adolescent had the aim to become an accountant and she always try to be fit.

But her “controlling behavior” at home, which included controlling who may be in each room and shooing away other family members, raised more questions.

When she grabbed knives, family members had to call the police. She was placed in custody under the Mental Health Act as a result of several “severe episodes.”

Her report revealed that while at West Lane Hospital, she was twice “inappropriately restrained,” with staff pulling her down a hallway by holding her under their arms.

The report’s writers found 47 care and service issues in her case. Staff lacked autism expertise and training, and safeguarding protocols weren’t implemented. Her parents weren’t included in care planning.

Emily Moore

Emily Moore,

Emily Moore, 18, had treatment at West Lane Hospital as well but was moved when she turned 18 to Durham’s Lanchester Road Hospital, where she passed away in February 2020.

In her final year, there were 200 instances of self-harm, and the study found that her father’s worries about them were not given much consideration.

Her parent’s relationship had “completely broken down” in terms of the trust. There were a total of 24 issues with the delivery of care and services.

In her case, West Lane Hospital’s missteps did not play a role in her demise. The transition to adult care and the inability to address ligature dangers in her ward at Lanchester Road Hospital, according to the report, had a “direct impact” on her demise.

Parent’s statement:

The parents of the trio said: “Our beautiful girls should not have failed in this way, and we need the answers to many more questions.”

“Not just for us but for the many other families who we know have suffered the pain of losing a loved one who should not have died but should have been cared for properly.”, they added

“We call on the Government to start a public inquiry that looks at this Trust and the services provided across the country for young people in crisis.”

The chief executive of TEWV, Brent Kilmurray, stated that he “unconditionally apologized for the egregious mistakes” in the care of the three teenagers.

He said, “On behalf of the trust, I would like to apologize unreservedly for the unacceptable failings in the care of Christie, Nadia, and Emily which these reports have clearly identified. The girls and their families deserved better while under our care.”

“I know everyone at the trust offers their heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the girl’s family and friends for their tragic loss. We must do everything in our power to ensure these failings can never be repeated.”, he added.

“However, we know that our actions must match our words. We accept in full the recommendations made in the reports – in fact, the overwhelming majority of them have already been addressed by us where applicable to our services.”

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