A teenager 'beautiful inside and out' took her own life after 'slipping through the net' while being cared for by mental health services., an inquest heard. Emily Burns, of Waltham Forest, London, told her mum that she thought her medication needed to be increased on the day of her death in May 2023.
She had been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and anorexia and was put under the care of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) run by North East London NHS Foundation Trust. But when she turned 18, the decision was made to transfer her to her GP, without a review by a senior doctor. She took an overdose and was admitted to hospital the same day.
The sixth-form student and aspiring costume designer was then transferred to an adult home treatment team, where she repeatedly asked for a review of her medication and therapy. She hugged her mum before school going to school on the day she died and said she believed her medication needed to be increased as it was not working. Emily’s parents, Renata and Quinton, have now spoken about the 'despair' they feel over their daughter’s death and are calling for improved mental health care for young people.
Coroner Nadia Persaud concluded 'there was a lack of safety planning' on Emily’s discharge from CAMHS and 'a poor transition' from CAMHS to adult mental health services. "[The] diagnostic work of the home treatment team was inadequate," she added, reported EssexLive. Charlotte Stawiska, the specialist medical negligenc.
