Hundreds of desperate people have taken their own lives within weeks of attending A&E as Britain faces a severe mental health crisis.
Some were found dead just hours after telling medics of their suicidal thoughts.
An investigation by the Sunday Mirror reveals heartbreaking stories and gaping holes in a system slammed by one grieving daughter as “broken”.
A string of tragic cases came to light in our probe – linked by a common thread of people crying out for help.
The family of Matthew Salisbury, 34, say he begged to be admitted to a mental health ward when his frantic wife Tara took him to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, South Wales, in 2019.
He was sent home and told it would be weeks before he could see a psychiatrist. He took his own life just hours later.
In 2018, Stephen Kennedy, 46, attended Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, and told staff he wanted to kill himself. He was discharged and told his case would be dealt with by the home treatment team. His girlfriend found him dead the next morning.
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Marlon Demaine, 50, was taken to A&E but then discharged to the community psychiatric team.
Hours later he jumped from the window of his flat in Solihull, West Mids.
Ex-partner Jessica Reinold and his children Annabel and James had begged for Marlon, who suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, to be admitted as an inpatient.
Coroners linked a spate of suicides in the Midlands to pressures on Birmingham and Solihull Trust’s mental health services and a lack of emergency beds.
One of the most harrowing cases is that of Thomas Kemp, 32 – taken to Ipswich Hospital by police in the midst of a psychotic episode in summer 2018.
A triage nurse identified Thomas was high risk, but a mental health crisis team decided he could go home. Hours later, he stabbed his 31-year-old wife Katie to death before killing himself.
Government statistics show they are among 218 people who died within 60 days of attending A&E suffering from a psychiatric condition between 2017 and 2019.
But this figure could be the tip of the iceberg because it doesn’t count cases where medics failed to recognise injuries had been caused by self harm.
Experts are calling for a fully qualified psychiatrist to be on hand in emergency departments at all times. They also want investment in community services to stop patients reaching breaking point.
Politicians have repeatedly failed to bridge the gap in funding between physical and mental health.
In their 2019 manifesto, the Tories pledged to treat mental health with the “same urgency” as physical health. But it is due to take up just 14.4% of the NHS spend this year while accounting for almost a quarter of illnesses.
The family of Julie Carter Montacute, who died in 2018 after a string of hospital visits, also called for action. Julie, 56, had been sectioned a year before police divers found her body in Chew Valley Lake, near Bristol.
Just days earlier she was taken to hospital after crashing her car in an apparent suicide bid on the M5 near Taunton, Somerset.
But because the Taunton hospital was in a different health trust, staff couldn’t access records which detailed her history of depression.
And Julie was discharged. Daughter Becky, 29, said: “Having access to information on a national level seems like a no-brainer. It could have saved her life if they’d kept her in.
"Throughout my mum’s care I was concerned about how well the people who treated her were able to assess her level of risk.
“I had to have counselling after my mum died but was on a waiting list for a year. I was so upset because mental health services had failed a loved one.
“But then I was stuck waiting in this horrible system thinking, ‘How could it be this broken’?”
Alison Cobb, of mental health charity Mind, echoed concerns over discharging patients too soon. She said: “There can be disastrous consequences for people who leave before they’re ready or without appropriate aftercare in place.
“Some A&E departments have a psychiatric liaison team whose job it is to make sure people get the right mental health support, but the NHS must make good on its promise to roll this out to every hospital.
“We also need to see alternatives available, such as crisis houses and cafes, which provide a safe space.
“It is vital more people are able to access services before they reach crisis point. There is growing evidence that access to mental health services is decreasing, while detentions under the Mental Health Act increase. It’s clear we have a long way to go.”
Consultant psychiatrist Andrew Molodynski, mental health lead at the BMA, added: “Mental health provision in A&E has improved but it can vary. During the day you have a reasonable chance of seeing a fully qualified psychiatrist.
"Out of hours, the chances are very low – but the majority of crisis episodes happen at night due to family arguments, alcohol and drugs.
“Mental health nurses and social workers can be really good but they don’t have the same level of seniority and experience as psychiatrists.
“We’d like to see a fully qualified psychiatrist in A&E at all times.”
Labour’s shadow mental health minister, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, said: “These stories are simply hearbreaking and are sadly part of a wider picture.
“All too often, it’s simply not possible for patients to get the specialist face -to-face psychiatric assessment they need. The Government must ensure that if a decision is made to discharge a patient, there is a robust plan in place, with a timeline for mental health follow up, so people don’t fall through the cracks.”
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
