An Ipswich mum is calling for changes to be made to children’s mental health services, as she feels her own daughter’s experience shows that the current system does not protect vulnerable young people.
Hayley West, 33, says that the way in which mental capacity is assessed and interpreted is failing young people who are struggling with their mental health.
“There needs to be more to the assessment,” she said. “If people are a risk to themselves or others, then they shouldn’t be released back into the community.”
She has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, but Mrs West believes that she may have bipolar disorder, a hereditary disorder which runs in her family.
Her daughter has tried to take her own life on multiple occasions.
Mrs West explained that while her daughter is admitted to hospital in the immediate aftermath of her suicide attempts, her treatment afterwards is limited by the way that her mental capacity is assessed.
NSFT has said that it is sorry to hear of Mrs West's concerns and will be reaching out to agree on the next steps to take.
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The NHS website explains that: “Children under the age of 16 can consent to their own treatment if they're believed to have enough intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what's involved in their treatment.
“This is known as being Gillick competent.
“Otherwise, someone with parental responsibility can consent for them.”
Gillick competence is assessed by examining how a child deals with decision making, based on their ability to understand and assess risks.
However, Mrs West is not satisfied that assessments of her daughter’s mental capacity are indicative of her state of mind.
After her daughter’s first suicide attempt, she brought along a mobile phone to one of her daughter’s psychiatrist appointments.
The phone contained messages between her daughter and a friend, stating that she intended to try again to take her own life, but would tell the psychiatrist that the attempt had been impulsive and she did not truly wish to die. She has since told her psychiatrist that this was not true.
However, Mrs West claims that the psychiatrist refused to look at the phone, and was satisfied that her daughter had enough mental capacity to consent to her own treatment, and would not be hospitalised.
“I feel that a psychotic episode is not the only reason someone should be hospitalised,” said Mrs West.
“We need to protect these children, especially when they are crying out for help.
“Mental capacity comes and goes. There needs to be a clause in the law that states that if the young person has acted in a harmful way towards themselves at least once, and they’ve expressed that they are still suicidal, then they will be protected, regardless of their capacity.
“Even if they are hospitalised for a very short, set period such as one to two weeks, that will mean that there is a place of safety for vulnerable people to go.”
Stuart Richardson is the chief executive of NSFT.
He said: “We are sorry to hear Mrs West’s concerns about the care of her daughter. We will contact Mrs West and will listen to her concerns and agree very clear next steps.
“We are determined to provide excellent, safe care to everyone who needs us. Where there is learning for us as an organisation, we will reflect and act on this.”
If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk to, contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
The Samaritans' phone lines are open 24/7, and all calls are free.
For more information, visit: www.samaritans.org
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