A senior coroner said Britain is 'failing' young people and more will die due to under-resourced mental health services as she ruled NHS 'neglect' led to the tragic death of a 14 year old schoolgirl. Penelope Schofield warned there is a 'clear risk' young people in the UK will succumb to their mental ill-health unless urgent action is taken and announced she is writing to Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
The Senior Coroner for West Sussex issued her stark warning as she concluded that Robyn Skilton, 14, killed herself after being let down by 'gross failures' in NHS mental health services. The failures were so severe in the case of the suicidal teenager - who was continually turned down for assessments - that Ms Schofield ruled the NHS was guilty of 'neglect'.
Robyn, from Horsham in West Sussex, disappeared from her £670,000 family home and took her life in a park on May 7 last year, having a long history of self-harming and expressing a desire to commit suicide. Despite 'real serious concerns' about her mental health, Robyn did not get face-to-face consultations, was not seen by a child psychiatrist or assessed for mental health issues, and was discharged from a NHS service a month before her suicide despite being on its high-risk 'red-list'.
