Eastbourne mum's warning after child "destroyed" by mental health care gaps

A bereaved mum from Eastbourne is warning more young people could lose their lives without national changes to mental health support.

Axel Price had recently turned 18 when he was found dead in his flat in 2021.

His inquest found he "fell through" gaps between child and adult mental health services when hitting the milestone, beginning adulthood without a "recognised pathway" - despite being "particularly vulnerable."

A coroner revealed while efforts were being made to tackle this locally, there was a lack of "nationwide guidance".

Half a decade later, his mum, Angela, is concerned there's been no change:

"The expert who provided evidence in this case said it was a well-recognised problem and while services across the country had tried to address this, there was lack of national guidance and provision," she explained.

"They were saying there was little shared understanding between agencies of how Axel is best supported.

"So what we found a lot was the different agencies that were in Axel's care, they weren't talking to each other really.

"They weren't sharing the information of the best way of supporting Axel.

"They need to actually be clear understanding, clear communication of, what is the best way of supporting this person rather than just, okay, we'll just leave it to that person."

"Deeply sad case"

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson described it as a "deeply sad case", saying it understands moving between child to adult mental health services can be a "difficult time":

"We are strengthening the support available for young people in those situations, and investing a record £16.1 billion in NHS mental health services this year," it continued.

“This includes increasing access to early support hubs and community mental health centres, which provide people with the help they need before they reach a crisis point, and expanding mental health support teams in schools and colleges across England, so more children and young people can get help early.”

A dedicated mental health A&E department is set to open its doors in Sussex next summer, with three specialist community centres also planned for 2028.

But Angela reminded that she's "never going to get her child back":

"They've not only destroyed Axel they've destroyed us.

"It's just heartbreaking because things could have been different.

"I just wish they actually showed the care and the support that he needed, but they didn't." Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.