The family of a young woman who died after begging for hospital treatment say they have been 'vindicated' by a coroners conclusion.
In September 2020, 31-year-old, Rachel Shaw, from Hebburn, took her own life after being "tormented" by hallucinations during a psychotic episode.
During an inquest into her death, Newcastle senior Karen Dilks found that an assessment which decided not to offer Rachel a bed at a psychiatric hospital had been "compromised" by a number of "failures", but did not rule that as the direct direct cause of her death.
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As reported in the Chronicle Live, Rachel's father, Peter Shaw, 56, said the coroner's conclusion "vindicated" his family's concerns about the care offered to his daughter who he described as an "independent and determined".
Peter said: "As a family we have suffered nothing but torment, grief, unending pain and ultimately anger, following Rachel’s death in September 2020. From the onset we have held the very strong view that had Rachel received hospital treatment on the day of September 6 that both she and we had asked for, then she would not have died the next day."
He accused mental health trust Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW ) of "misleading" the family over the "failures" which the coroner found in Rachel's care, and called on the trust to learn from the findings and "rebuild trust". The Trust has said it undertook a serious incident investigation after Rachel's death and that the inquest process would ensure "lessons learned are taken forward".
But Peter accused them of a "complete failure to acknowledge their failings". He said: "[This] is not only an insult to our family, but it is ultimately an insult to our beautiful 31-year-old daughter who still had the prime of her life ahead of her.
"When Rachel was born I was the first person to hold her hand and when she died my wife Sue and I were holding her hand and that's not how it should be. The pain of losing a family member, particularly one that's so young, is unbearable, but to have that happen after the mistakes of others that they haven't acknowledged is something else.
"This has never been about anything other than ensuring that what we have experienced as a family will ever be inflicted on others. Hopefully this had been achieved."
Loving, creative and driven by a strong "moral compass", Rachel loved writing, especially comedy scripts, and adored her younger sister, Kate.
Peter said it was "impossible" to adequately convey the person his "thoughtful and loyal" daughter was, and spoke of his pride at how hard she had fought after being hit by mental illness.
He added: "All I can say is that she was funny, passionate about people and justice, culturally interested in films, comedy and TV, and as all good parental relationships should turn out, a good friend to me and my wife.
"A defining issue for me though is the fact that Rachel held her family next to her heart and they were the people who meant the most to her. This was reciprocated by them as well, and I don’t think Rachel really knew how loved she was and how much she is ultimately missed.
"Rachel clearly had her demons, but she fought hard with incredible strength and dignity to deal with them, and for a long time she did."
In a bid to create a lasting legacy for Rachel, her family have set up community interest company Reach Out Retreat, which aims to found a countryside retreat for those who've lost a loved one to suicide. Funded by donations, grants and the cafe that chef Peter hopes to open there, giving work to young people with mental health problems, the retreat would give those bereaved in one of the most painful ways possible a space to grieve properly.
Mum Sue Shaw, 56, said: "After Rachel died, Peter and I tried to be strong for everyone else and when we came home sometimes our house felt like a prison, because of all the issues that surrounded her death we just couldn't escape.
"We had booked a holiday cottage in February and we decided to go, and being there we could actually focus on Rachel and losing her. We could just sit and sob if we wanted to, we got out in nature and we cooked healthy food which we hadn't been able to face doing at home. When we got back we felt like our batteries had been recharged and we had managed to heal just a little bit.
"We both said it would be amazing if we could do something to support other families, give them somewhere they could go and grieve with other people who understand what it's like. If someone wants to talk to someone who totally gets it we'd be there, or if they wanted to go into their accommodation for three days and not come out they could, it wouldn't matter."
The couple said the retreat, which will also be eco-friendly, was an idea Rachel would have loved, and that they would fight to achieve the ambitious goal in her name.
Sue added: "I do feel that because Rachel doesn't have her life now to go forward and make a success that we've started the retreat to make a success for her, because she would have been successful."
Gary O’Hare, Chief Nurse at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Foundation Trust (CNTW) said: “We would like to offer our sincere and heartfelt sympathies to Rachel’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time.
The Trust undertook a serious incident investigation following Rachel’s death to identify issues or concerns, and the coronial process has also given us the opportunity for care and treatment offered to be further reviewed, and to ensure that the lessons learned are taken forward.”
The Shaw family are raising money for their 'Reach Out Retreat' through their JustGiving page.
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