The mum of a 12-year-old girl who took her own life has slammed the Government for failing to provide more help to children with mental health issues.
Charley Ann Patterson hanged herself at her home in Cramlington, Northumberland, after being bullied. She was found unresponsive in her bedroom by her dad Paul and passed away in hospital on October 1, 2020.
An inquest into Charley's death heard how there had been a significant increase in children seeking support for self-harm and anxiety. The number of children being referred to mental health services for their emotional wellbeing had increased from one a week to one a shift.
Senior Coroner Andrew Hetherington said he would write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who was Therese Coffey at the time, about the increase in children seeking mental health support.
However more than three months on, Charley's mum Jay, 37, said nothing has changed and they have not heard from anyone.
The mum-of-five said: "The Government is on a bit of a go-slow at the moment. It's like hitting a brick wall every time I try to speak to them. I think it's not being taken seriously.
"It's a lot of words - that's all it seems to be. Unless you are there, and knocking on their door 24/7, they are not going to pay attention. I don't think half of them listen to be honest.
"We had Covid as an excuse, then came the change of the Government. What's going to be tomorrow's excuse?
"I think they should be a lot more proactive and upping their game a lot more. There's not enough support."
Jay and her husband Paul, 40, have been pushing for a change in the law to ensure all youngsters get the mental health care they need within set time limits. They want to see:
- All first appointments with children's mental health services take place within a month of referral
- Weekly support meetings
- More regular meetings with all key players in a child's life, including doctors, parents, teachers and social services.
The couple have dubbed the suggestions "Charley's Law".
Jay, who works in administration, said: "It seems to be at a stalemate at the moment. I can't move forward without parliament and they are not interested.
"We have literally just got the coroner's word that he's written the letter. We thought this was going to be our pathway through, but it's not like that."
Jay said that before Charley's inquest they had a meeting with Gillian Keegan, Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, to set out the suggestions but they have heard nothing since.
She said: "They were a bit shocked by how much of an issue to is. They thought it was an issue for middle aged men rather than kids. They didn't seem to realise about the north - south divide. They said they are going to implement it in schools and nothing has come of it.
"We are supposed to have had meetings and these meetings have been cancelled and no one gets back to you. I feel like Charley's Law needs to be pushed more."
Jay, who admits she is also struggling with her mental health, also feels that there should be more support in schools and workplaces for people with mental health issues.
Charley's parents have been trying to help others by running 'Charley's coffee and chat' sessions on the last Thursday of each month. They take place between 7pm and 9pm at the Methodist church in Cramlington.
The inquest into Charley's death heard how she suffered from low mood and anxiety related to friendship difficulties, the covid-19 lockdown and other influences. She had previously reached out to health services after self harming on two occasions.
Northumberland Coroner's Court heard how Charley told a nurse, after harming herself for the second time, that she had been bullied online and she couldn't speak to her friends to reconcile due to being at home during the lockdown.
A workbook in her bedroom contained notes which said: "I'm going to kill myself" and "It will be quick, one more step". A television was also paused on a screen which said "Am I a misfit?".
The four-day hearing, which took place at County Hall in Morpeth, Northumberland, heard how she was also sent a message which said "You're useless, you can't even kill yourself properly".
The inquest heard how a plan was made to refer her to the Northumberland early help hub but the referral was never processed by the trust. It was wrongly assumed that a referral had already been made when in fact it was to be made after the follow up appointment.
Coroner Hetherington said: "It’s not possible to say, if those steps had been undertaken, whether the outcome would have been any different."
During his conclusion, the Senior Coroner for North Northumberland and Acting Senior Coroner for South Northumberland told the court: "It’s my intention to write to the Secretary of State for health and social care, to write about the concerns I have heard."
A Government spokesperson said: “We’re doing what we can to support children and young people with their mental health and NHS England has consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards to ensure quicker referrals to services.
“We are already investing an extra £2.3 billion a year into mental health services by 2023/24, meaning an additional 345,000 children and young people will by then be able to access NHS-funded mental health support.
“Support in school is also vital, and we are committed to increasing the number of mental health support teams to almost 400 by April 2023, providing support to three million children and young people.”
Read more:
Cops identify that girl, 12, died after being bullied but nobody was prosecuted, inquest hears
Cramlington girl, 12, who took her own life told nurse she felt 'bullied and ignored'
'She will always be with us': Family of 12-year-old Charley Patterson say goodbye in moving service
Mum of 12-year-old Charley-Ann Patterson sets up charity in lasting tribute
