A mental health blogger died after "ingesting" something at a mental health unit in Stockport.
Beth Matthews was just 26 when she died in hospital on March 21 this year after an incident at the Priory unit at Cheadle Royal, Stockport. The "serious incident" saw her transferred to Wythenshaw Hospital, where she sadly passed away later that day.
Area coroner Chris Morris held a pre-inquest review into Beth's tragic death at Manchester South Coroners Office on Thursday, June 9. Beth's parents Jane and Chris, sister Lucy, and former partner Matt were all in attendance at the hearing, accessing the proceedings via Microsoft Teams. All of them are represented at the inquest by Stephen Jones.
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One of the matters her family want to explore in the inquest into Beth's death is a attempt in 2019 to take her own life. Mr Jones told the court that Beth was talked down from a bridge and hospitalised two days before she would return to the same bridge and try to end her own life.
Physical health problems left behind by that incident, including nerve damage, broken bones, and paralysis in some parts of her body, were said to weigh heavily on Beth.
Mr Jones told the court there was evidence to show "Beth was feeling pretty down as a result of her recognising she would not make any further rehabilitation from these injuries" - a key piece of evidence that her family were keen to see taken into account. The family also wish to hear evidence from the ward doctor who "helped immediately with the consequences of Beth's ingestion" on the day of her death.
Claire Smith, police coroner's officer at Manchester South Coroners Court, told the hearing that the police investigations were still ongoing, with officers trying to establish "whether any offences took place in relation to Miss Matthews' death". A CQC investigation is also underway, with the investigating officer being given full access to proceedings to assist with their findings.
An independent party is also undertaking an investigation into Beth's care on behalf of the Priory, with findings set to be shared in full with the court before Beth's inquest is heard. A finalised post-mortem report is also required, after the opening into Beth's inquest heard that Consultant Pathologist Dr Andrew Yates said the cause of death was "unascertained" at that time.
At the time of her death, the Priory was undertaking a safeguarding review surrounding Beth's care after the supporter worker from Cornwall made allegations to the Trust. The nature of those allegations were not revealed at the inquest, but Miss Shepherd, representing the Priory group, confirmed that the investigation into the matters had been dropped.
Mr Morris ordered that the inquest be held in front of a jury as he felt Article two of the European Convention of Human Rights was "so obviously engaged" in this case as Beth was under the care of the State at the time because she was being held under section three of the Mental Health Act.
He said: "Beth was detained under section three of the Mental Health Act, her leave was very restricted, she was allowed section 17 leave once a week to a specific place where she would be accompanied by a driver and two members of staff, and she was on one-to-one constant eyesight basis observations with either one or two members of staff. This will be an inquest in which article two applies."
Before her death, Beth had spent several years blogging about her experience with her mental health, discussing a suicide attempt in April 2019 that left her with various injuries in a blog called Life Beyond the Ledge and on her twitter account. In one of the last messages she posted on her account, she said: "It’s ironic that the injuries I sustained from a suicide attempt (nerve damage, broken bones, paralysed bladder, paralysed bowel, paralysed foot, chronic pain etc) are the reason I’m now suicidal.”
She shared raw accounts of her recovery and helped others who were experiencing mental health issues. Beth, who loved spending time outdoors, had amassed 26,300 followers on Twitter and built a following of her own through her brutally honest blog posts. In her very last tweet, which has now gone viral, Beth told how she was 'struggling so much' and apologised to her followers for 'being so negative'. Hundreds of people have since shared their condolences on the thread.
Beth's pinned tweet praised the 'brave police officer who saved' her life in 2019. She wrote: "Today, I got to thank and hug the brave police officer who saved my life. Despite witnessing me fall 50ft off a bridge, she ran down and held my hand until I was airlifted to hospital. This moment meant the world and reminded me just how grateful I am to be alive."
The inquest, which is expected to last two weeks, has been preliminarily listed for January 2023, with proceedings being held in front of a jury. Another pre-inquest review will be held at 9am on August 30 in front of assistant coroner Andrew Bridgman, who will hear the full inquest.
