Call For Lessons To Be Learned From ‘Unbearably Tragic Case’

The parents of a Yorkshire man who committed suicide after his local NHS Trust ‘missed opportunities’ to provide him with the support he needed have urged that more must be done to improve mental health services across the UK.

Father-of-two Martin Burnett died aged 40 in November 2015 after struggling for four years to come to terms with the sudden death of his wife Delith, who passed away unexpectedly from an epileptic fit.

Following Martin’s death his parents, Agnes and Roy, instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office to investigate whether more could have been done to help him. 

Martin suffered from sleeping problems and a low mood following Delith’s death. His mother, Agnes, referred him to the Adult Mental Health Services First Response Team at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust in July 2015. The Trust asked him to opt in to therapy but he was then discharged a month later. 

Martin then attended his GP in September 2015 requesting support and his doctor contacted the First Response Team. A therapist got in touch via telephone and Martin reported a low mood, panic attacks and range of other issues. While a referral was made to the Primary Care Mental Health Team it was subsequently refused as he was not considered suitable. 

Martin and his family continued to seek support and following another telephone assessment in September he was referred for group counselling but was discharged on November 17th as he had not opted into the service.

Five days later, on November 22nd, Martin was found dead at home by his parents, after he had hanged himself.

It is now admitted by the Trust that Martin should not have been referred for group counselling, he should have been given immediate support. 

Following the admission of failure by the Trust, Martin’s family is calling for lessons to be learnt from his death.

Lauren Bullock, the specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who is representing the family, said: 

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“This is an unbearably tragic story where a family has had to endure a devastating sequence of events.

“While they sought advice and support from the local NHS Trust, there were ultimately a series of missed opportunities to intervene. Had Martin been given the right support there might have been a very different outcome. It is particularly sad as Martin and his family requested support time and time again.

“Nothing will ever change what Martin’s family has been through. But we hope that at the very least lessons will be learned so that the problems seen here are simply never repeated again.

“It is so important to highlight the gaps in mental health services so that mistakes such as this never happen again and so that people who need assistance get the support they needed. We have to prevent tragedies like this happening to other families.” Lauren Bullock - Solicitor

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust admitted to a series of failures in relation to Martin’s care, including that the First Response Coach on the first telephone assessment in September 2015 did not consider the inherent risk factors present or identify his suicidal intention. The coach also failed to refer Martin for a face-to-face assessment.

An expert Consultant Psychiatrist who examined the case for Irwin Mitchell concluded that had Martin been referred for a face-to-face review he would have received immediate help either at home or, most likely, as an inpatient. This would have then led to appropriate treatment and would have ensured his death was avoided.

Martin is survived by his two children Mackenzie, 15, and Darcie, 11, who are now cared for by his parents.

Agnes, 63, who also cares for two foster children with Roy in addition to Mackenzie and Darcie, said: “It is nearly three years since Martin died and the whole family remains completely and utterly devastated by his loss. In many ways his death has been made harder by the fact that we now know that more could and should have been done to help him.

“Mental health has been in the national spotlight for some time now and a case like Martin’s demonstrates that there is much to be done to improve standards of support. While nothing will bring him back, we hope that his story will lead to improvements in care. 

“We would also urge that a better level of support is also offered to families and it is vital that concerns regarding a person’s mental health are never allowed to fall on deaf ears. We do not want another family to go through what we have.”

For those who feel they need it, the Samaritans run a helpline that can be reached by calling 116 123.

If you or a loved one have been a victim of medical negligence and need help making a claim, get in touch with our solicitors for a free initial consultation.