Lengthy stay in A&E contributed to death

A lack of psychiatric beds and a 26-day stay in an accident and emergency department were among issues which contributed to the death of a 29-year-old patient who took their own life, a coroner said.

Matty Sheldrick took their life in the grounds of Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital in November 2022.

Horsham's senior coroner, Penelope Schofield, found eight issues which contributed to their death at the inquest conclusion on Friday.

James Ramsay, NHS Sussex's chief medical officer, said trusts in the region had been working together to improve the support and environment in which people were cared for when they were in crisis.

Ms Schofield said private housing was not suitable for Matty's ongoing sensory issues and that an A&E department was "not a suitable environment for a neurodivergent individual".

She said that Matty, a trans person, had been unable to access specialist advice and resources from the Transforming Care in Austism Team.

The inquest previously heard Matty took their life after reaching out for "help that did not appear to exist".

Matty's mother, Shelagh Sheldrick, previously said her child, who was autistic and had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), felt "dismissed, ignored and lied to" by mental health workers.

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Source: BBC News, 16 December 2024