Mother calls for ‘proper inquiry’ into NHS trust after son died waiting for assessment

Phephisa Siphelele Mabuza was found dead by police four days after his mother called a crisis line. Photograph: supplied

A recently bereaved mother has added her voice to calls for a “proper inquiry” into the Essex Partnership university NHS trust after her son died, having been told he had to wait up to 28 days for an in-person assessment by its mental health team.

The trust (EPUT) is currently the subject of an independent inquiry into the deaths of almost 2,000 mental health patients under its – or its predecessors’ care – but bereaved relatives are angry that the inquiry has not been granted legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.