Daughter calls for TEWV inquiry after dad's death

The daughter of a man who died after being released from a psychiatric hospital the same day that he was admitted has called for a public inquiry.  

Andrew Fawcett, 40, told his family that he was feeling suicidal in September 2019. Though they tried to support him, Andrew’s family believed that issues with alcohol dependency and poor mental health meant the only safe place for him was in hospital

After getting in touch with the crisis team at Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS trust, he was admitted to Roseberry Park hospital, in Middlesbrough on September 12, 2019.

Hours later, he was allowed home on leave, and agreed that he could return to the hospital at any time.

But when he phoned the crisis team asking to go back into hospital, staff mistakenly believed he had been discharged, telling him to “sleep it off”, and that they would have a conversation the next day.

Andrew, from Middlesbrough, was found dead at his home hours later, on September 15, 2019, having taken his own life.

At an inquest into Andrew’s death, the coroner concluded that hospital trust Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys “missed opportunities” in Andrew’s care, failing him and his family.

Now, daughter Olivia Fawcett, 25, has joined calls for a public inquiry into the trust, saying that “another family should never have to go through what we've been through”.

Olivia told The Northern Echo: “What I wanted from the crisis team and Roseberry Park was the ability for them to take some of the stress, anxiety and panic away from me, and to know that others were looking out for him and I wasn’t doing it alone.

“Everything around me seemed to crumble when I was told that he wasn’t staying in hospital – I remember saying to a friend if he doesn’t stay in hospital he’s going to die.”

Andrew left behind three children, and Olivia has said that the effect his death has had on them all has been “immense, and permanent”.

In the weeks after her father’s death, Olivia was so upset she started to “hallucinate”, and “cried so much I ran out of tears”.

Olivia told the inquest into her father’s death: “I didn’t think at 20 I’d have to deal with something so traumatic, which has left me broken and unable to cope without medication.”

The death and subsequent inquest have had a “huge impact” on Olivia’s younger siblings too, leaving them dealing with “post-traumatic stress disorder and immense grief”.

Olivia added: “I think my dad was failed – he was labelled as just another alcoholic when there were deeper issues that were driving him to drink.

“My family has to live with this for the rest of our lives when it could have been prevented in so many ways.”

“There was no remorse. It’s quite scary that they have not learned lessons. I know other families that have lost people in the same way since my dad died.”

At an inquest into Andrew’s death, the coroner concluded that healthcare staff’s mistaken beliefs and an over-emphasis on Andrew receiving care in the community led to “missed opportunities” for further support.

In a letter sent to Andrew’s son, Kieron, TEWV CEO Brent Kilmurray acknowledged that “there was a failure in the care provided to your father … which tragically resulted in his death”.

Mr Kilmurray promised that “the trust will work to ensure that any learning from the incident can be gathered to avoid such incidents happening again”.

Nearly five years on from his death, the family is still reeling.

Olivia paid tribute to her beloved dad, saying: “He was our idol, we felt safe around him and like he would protect us and be there forever if he could.

Read more:

• Bereaved families call on Prime Minister for public inquiry into mental health trust
• 'My heart is shattered': Heartbroken mum calls for inquiry into hospital trust
• 'They drove her to her death': Mother calls for inquiry into daughter's suicide

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“It can’t be allowed to happen to another family, and someone had to check that the trust is fit for purpose.”

A spokesperson at the Trust, said: “Our thoughts are with Andrew’s family and we remain deeply sorry for their loss.

“As an NHS trust, we have no role or influence on public inquiries. These are a matter for government. We fully accept the need for accountability and that currently comes in many forms, including regular inspections from the Care Quality Commission.”