Families challenge Sussex mental health trust after inquest into teenager’s death
The group says the NHS trust needs to make meaningful changes.
Last updated 4th Feb 2026
Bereaved families have criticised Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) following an inquest into the death of 16-year-old Ellame Ford-Dunn, who died after absconding from her ward at Worthing Hospital in March 2022.
On Monday, a jury at West Sussex Coroner's Court concluded that "inadequate" care contributed to Ellame’s death. The trust did not have an "appropriate" mental health bed available for her at the time she was sectioned.
Families who have experienced similar tragedies have formed SPFT Bereaved Families Unite, a group calling for changes in the culture and operations within the trust.
The group have released a poem titled "Do you even know us?"
In a post, Jane Padmore post spoke of promoting a "psychologically safe culture" within the trust and balancing "compassion and optimism with accountability."
However, Louise Hodgson, the author of the poem, said the message felt disconnected from the families’ lived experiences:
"The distance and the difference between what she's saying in her post and the reality is quite traumatising and distressing."
Another bereaved parent, Shelagh Sheldrick, urged Ms Padmore to meaningfully engage with families to provide reassurance that steps are being taken to prevent similar deaths.
"Come on Jane Padmore, when are you going to effectively and meaningfully engage with families to reassure that appropriate changes have been made to avoid future deaths? After all, this is all we have left to hold onto while we grieve our children and loved ones," she said.
SPFT, which provides mental health and learning disability services, was ranked 59th out of 61 non-acute NHS trusts across the UK in a Department for Health and Social Care report published last year.
Ellame’s death has renewed criticism from bereaved families, who say they are “still waiting” for the trust to engage with them meaningfully.
The group believes that current actions by SPFT fall short of addressing the systemic issues in care provision.
Dr Oliver Dale, Chief Medical Officer, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:
"We have a responsibility to keep people safe whilst under our care. If we haven't done this, our responsibility is to understand what happened. This involves working with our partners, families and carers to improve. We will always strive to achieve this.
"We also need to keep working on how we support families. That includes listening to feedback, especially when people's experience has been poor. We are sorry for where this has been the case. We are absolutely committed to improving and making sure that families are supported more consistently."