Coroner expresses concerns over NHS menopause care after death of teacher

A coroner has expressed wide-ranging concerns about how the NHS cares for women during menopause after the death of a 54-year-old teacher who killed herself after a decline in her mental health.

Jacqueline Anne Potter took her own life during overnight leave from an acute psychiatric unit in Somerset where she was being looked after because of mental health issues exacerbated by menopause.

In a prevention of future deaths report, senior coroner Samantha Marsh said she was concerned about the “lack of importance” given to menopausal care available on the NHS.

She said: “Women who are not fortunate enough to be able to access private clinics and facilities may not be able to access the services and expertise they need at a very crucial transitional phase in their lives. Menopause is not a lifestyle choice, it is an unavoidable part of a woman’s natural biological cycle.”

The coroner said: “Given her presentation it would appear that her underlying anxiety had been slowly building; possibly since 2008 but much more so since 2017.”

She started HRT but in September 2022 declined again and the following month agreed to a voluntary admission to an acute psychiatric unit after she was found wandering in traffic. She was detained there under the Mental Health Act.

Last month an inquest jury concluded that Potter’s death was suicide and said menopause “contributed to her mental health decline and exacerbated her underlying anxiety”. The jury also said that her family “did not receive appropriate information to assist them in keeping Anne safe for an overnight stay”.

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Source: The Guardian, 29 April 2025