The family of a young woman who died after a 'missed opportunity' have paid tribute to her.
Jennifer Semple, 25, was found at her home on Crossford Road in the Dovecot area by her mum on the evening of August 4, 2019. Last week an inquest into Ms Semple's death was told she had called a mental health support line at around 5.30am that day.
On the evening of her death Ms Semple's mother became worried about her and entered her home. She found her daughter's body in the living room.
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Senior coroner André Rebello said there was a 'missed opportunity to ensure she was safe' and a 'chance for intervention.' Mr Rebello found that an ambulance was 'not asked to attend Jennifer's home.'
He said: "The poor system of the crisis line being operated by a lone worker contributed to this error of judgement."
Now Ms Semple's family have paid tribute to her. In a statement released to the ECHO the family said: "Jen was a beloved daughter, sister, niece and cousin. She was kind, thoughtful and approachable to all who met her and a champion for anyone who was going through difficult times.
"It was only after Jen’s death that her family were made aware of all the people who she had supported. Even though Jen was dealing with her own issues, she touched the lives of so many others.
"It was a balm for her mother and family to see all the people who attended her funeral and made sure her mother knew how much of an impact Jen had made on their lives. As a family we are so very proud of Jen and her achievements and although we only had her for 25 years she will be loved and missed forever.
"We hope that through the inquest process lessons have been learnt so that the failings in Jen’s care are not repeated and no other family needs to go through what we have. We would like to thank our lawyers at Broudie Jackson Canter, our barrister, Ciara Bartlam, and the charity INQUEST for their support.
"We believe without access to legal representation paid for by legal aid we would not have achieved the result we have through the inquest process. We are aware that many bereaved families do not have access to the support we have had."
Mr Rebello criticised the level of care offered to Ms Semple prior to her death. He said: "It was found that the mental health care of Jennifer was not optimal but it cannot be found that these deficits directly caused or contributed to Jennifer's death."
Ms Semple had had several interactions with staff from North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (now Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust) in relation to her mental health over the course of the year prior to her death.
Gerard Majella Courthouse heard that new funding has resulted in there being greater resource within the Trust Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams. Pharmacists are now available to assist with medication reviews and the multi-disciplinary team process has been strengthened.
Last Tuesday Mr Rebello recorded a verdict of death by suicide in part contributed to by neglect whilst suffering from poor mental health. Clair Hilder, of Broudie Jackson Canter, said:"When Jen called the crisis line on August 4 2019, she needed urgent medical assessment. Instead, she was told that there would be a follow up call later that day.
"The findings of this inquest are a damning indictment of a system that was tragically and avoidably unsafe. Because of the failure to send an ambulance to Jen, her family underwent the trauma of finding her body.
"Both Jen and her family deserved so much more."
