Distressing notes were found in the workbook of a 12-year-old girl who died after being bullied, an inquest has heard.
Charley Patterson was found unresponsive by her dad Paul in her bedroom at her home in Cramlington, Northumberland, on October 1, 2020. An inquest into her death heard how she was given resuscitation by medics but could not be saved and passed away in hospital.
The hearing at Northumberland Coroner's Court heard how a police officer searched Charley's bedroom while paramedics were attempting to save her life. The officer found a workbook in her bedroom which had writing on a few pages.
The notes 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 inquest, sitting at County Hall in Morpeth, Northumberland, heard how she had previously tried to get help from medical professionals after self harming on two occasions.
A statement from Charley's mum Jamie Patterson, which was read to the court by the coroner, revealed how her daughter has been sent a message which said "You're useless, you can't even kill yourself properly".
She said that, just a week before Charley died, her daughter was sent an alarming video which showed her how to tie a knot. She said: "She would not tell me who had sent this to her but she was visibly upset by it."
Charley's mum took her daughter to see her GP in June 2019 after she first self harmed. In her statement, she said the GP asked Charley to start writing her thoughts and feelings down in a diary. Jamie said: "I do not believe the GP took Charley's self harm seriously, particularly due to her age."
Charley attended Northumbria Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington in May 2020 after harming herself for the second time. The inquest heard how she told paediatric nurse practitioner Rachel Lucy Bell how she had been bullied online and she couldn't speak to her friends to reconcile due to being at home during the covid-19 lockdown.
Ms Bell said: "She seemed to have quite low self esteem. She mentioned some bullying and isolation. She said she was being pushed out, ignored." She said Charley's death came as a shock to her, adding: "She wasn’t one of the people who I had on my radar as someone I was majorly concerned about."
The inquest heard how Charley was assessed by a mental health nurse who identified that she had anxiety and low self esteem. A plan was made to refer her to the Northumberland hub rather than the Children's and Young Person's Service (CYPS).
However the referral to Northumberland Hub was never processed by the trust and information about her health was not shared with her school.
Health professionals from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust told the court that it would be difficult to tell whether the outcome could have been any different if the referral had taken place and whether it was a missed opportunity.
Chloe Mann, group nurse director at the trust, told the court, during her evidence, that they had identified a lead that would have been helpful for Charley. She said: "I would have hoped that if she had received intervention it would have been beneficial for her."
Andrew Hetherington, Senior Coroner for North Northumberland and Acting Senior Coroner for South Northumberland, is expected to deliver his conclusion on Friday morning.
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