'we Begged For Help For Years But It Wasn't There'

The sister of a man who took his ain life aft battling intelligence wellness issues for years said location was "a complete deficiency of attraction and compassion" towards him.

Terry White - a father-of-two from Basildon - was 36 years aged erstwhile he died successful 2019. His decease is 1 of much than 2,000 nether intelligence wellness services successful Essex which are nan taxable of nan Lampard nationalist inquiry.

Mr White's sister Emma Harley said nan family had "begged for thief for years...[but] it wasn't there; we were met pinch a ceramic wall astatine each turn".

The spot successful complaint of intelligence wellness services successful Essex has apologised to bereaved families and said improvements person been made.

"He was afloat of energy, bouncing disconnected nan walls - truthful overmuch nosy to beryllium around," Emma said of her younger brother.

"He utilized to get himself into a batch of pickles… but everybody loved him, everybody wanted to walk clip pinch him."

Ms Harley said Terry's neurodivergence and attraction shortage hyperactivity upset [ADHD] went undiagnosed until he was a teen owed to a wide deficiency of knowing astir intelligence wellness astatine nan time.

Speaking to nan BBC up of giving grounds to nan Lampard Inquiry, she said her relative - incapable to get nan thief he needed - turned to forbidden narcotics arsenic a measurement of self-medicating.

Mr White tried respective times to extremity his ain life. On nan penultimate attempt, his sister said his petition not to beryllium discharged from Basildon Hospital was met pinch a deficiency of sympathy.

"I heard [the receptionist] opportunity 'as I've told you earlier sir, there's thing other we tin do - if you don't leave, we'll telephone security'," Ms Harley said.

"That benignant of sums up nan level of compassion that was shown passim his full life."

Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basildon Hospital, sent its "sincere condolences" to Terry's family and said it had "changed nan measurement we support group pinch intelligence wellness problems".

Ms Harley described nan telephone telephone telling her that Terry had died arsenic 1 she had been waiting for "since he was a teen - I knew it would travel 1 day".

"I still consciousness guilt that I couldn't prevention him," she told nan BBC, adding she was angry and disappointment her relative was not offered therapy, a mentor aliases a cardinal worker arsenic a azygous constituent of contact, and she said he mightiness still beryllium live pinch that help.

Emma said location were aggregate missed opportunities, but her relative received small thief aliases sympathy from nan constabulary aliases aesculapian services.

"He ticked each azygous container for being nan astir astatine consequence of suicide, yet no-one ever saw that - he was wholly fto down," she said.

"He was conscionable dismissed arsenic a spot of a druggie, and his intelligence wellness was ne'er looked astatine successful immoderate seriousness."

Ms Harley's grounds astatine nan Lampard Inquiry has been heard crossed nan last 2 days of nan 5th group of hearings.

The enquiry is looking into nan deaths of much than 2,000 group nether intelligence wellness services successful Essex betwixt 2000 and 2023.

"There needs to beryllium real, radical, long-lasting change… we each recognise that has to hap aft this [inquiry]," Ms Harley said.

"The main attraction mightiness beryllium connected Essex but this needs to trigger alteration crossed nan full country."

Baroness Lampard has many times stated her volition that her recommendations are implemented pursuing nan inquiry, and has established a forum to effort to guarantee that - believed to beryllium nan first nationalist enquiry to return specified a measure.

Priya Singh, partner astatine Hodge Jones & Allen, which represents Ms Harley and much than 120 victims and families astatine nan inquiry, told nan BBC that Terry White and his family were "appallingly fto down... [and] ignored many times pinch tragic consequences".

Paul Scott, main executive of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust - which runs intelligence wellness services successful Essex - said his thoughts were pinch Mr White's family.

"As nan enquiry progresses location will beryllium galore accounts of group who were overmuch loved and missed complete nan past 24 years, and I want to opportunity really sorry I americium for their loss," he said.

"All of america crossed healthcare person a work to activity together to amended attraction and curen for each and to build connected nan improvements that person already been made complete nan past 24 years."

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was "committed" to assisting nan Lampard Inquiry which "will play an important domiciled successful identifying wider learnings for nan wellness system".

A spokesperson for nan authorities said it was transforming intelligence wellness services crossed nan UK, backed by £688m successful backing this year, including investing £26m for caller intelligence wellness situation centres and hiring much staff.

Essex Police said it was assisting nan Lampard Inquiry "and we are committed to addressing immoderate learning identified by nan enquiry astatine its conclusion".

The adjacent group of hearings astatine nan Lampard Inquiry will beryllium successful February 2026.