Teesside families 'failed' by mental health trust calls for public inquiry
They say Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust could've prevented deaths
Last updated 1st May 2025
Families who say they've been 'failed' by Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust are calling for a public inquiry after their loved ones died as patients.
They are heading down to London to meet with the Health Secretary.
The families reckon the mental health trust could have prevented the deaths.
Nicola Cunningham, from Middlesbrough, is one of those who will be meeting Wes Streeting.
Her daughter, 21 year-old Bethany Breach, was sectioned for three years until she lost her life at Roseberry Park Hospital last January.
Nicola says she was failed and her risk was not managed: "Something has to happen. There's been too many families that have gone through this and I think the trust needs to be accountable. We all want the same outcome. We all want people to be safe and people to get the help that they deserve.
"Bethany was sectioned in Nottingham initially because when she was 18 she went to Lincoln University but due to Covid, her mental health declined and she got sectioned. She moved closer to home in Middlesbrough six to eight months later and she came under TEWV.
"I've already had a semi-apology that some aspects of Beth's care were not to the standard of the organisation what would be acceptable, so I've already had that that some aspects of her care weren't to standard but that's not enough.
"Beth's loss of her life was preventable and Beth should never have been in hospital for three years. She had no therapy, she was medicated and kept in a room for the majority of the time and the risk that she was doing wasn't managed.
"The report that I've received there's nothing in it that states how Beth lost her life, that there's any preventative measures in place to prevent it happening to other people, and it's a common thing that's happening but there's no preventative actions. It's just reactive rather than being proactive.
"I haven't been able to grieve properly because there's so much anger. I think a lot of it is because Beth didn't have a discharge date. She'd been three years and social care were not actively involved. There was no line in sight for Beth to aim for, to know that she would be coming out.
"Beth was autistic and a lot of the TEWV deaths, there's a significant amount of them are autistic people that are usually under 25. We can't keep losing autistic people especially in hospital where the therapy isn't there."
A spokesperson at the Trust, said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with the families who have lost loved ones. Their pain is unimaginable.
“We understand that the government is considering its position on a public inquiry. As an NHS Trust, we have no role or influence on public inquiries. These are a matter for the government. We will co-operate fully as required with openness and transparency.
“We have made substantial progress whilst acknowledging there is more to do. These changes are starting to have a positive impact, and we remain 100% committed to transforming our services and improving people’s experiences of our Trust.”