I didn’t find out until after my daughter died that she had taken six overdoses in the weeks before her death and asked for help. I didn’t know she had phoned the crisis team to tell them she had tried to take her life. I didn’t know that she had …
Since working with Making Families Count, writing blogs, presenting webinars, helping to run training sessions, even appearing on the radio, people have said to me they don’t know how I do it, even that I am brave to do so. That surprises me. I don’t consider myself the slightest bit …
Back in the summer, I tuned in to Newsnight for an item about an NHS Trust where 8,000 people in touch with mental health services died in three years. My daughter was one of the 8,000. Whilst watching the programme, I wondered what I would have thought if I hadn’t …
At the Patient Safety Congress, I learned how an apology can bring about a minor miracle. James Titcombe related how he lost his baby boy due to serious failings in maternity care. Although these were later detailed in the Morecambe Bay report, James felt there was still a gap in his …
When I was asked if I’d like to attend the Patient Safety Congress in Manchester in September, I saw no reason not to say yes. Why ever not? I thought. Who wouldn’t want to meet people concerned with keeping patients safe? What’s not to like, as they say? I didn’t realise …
Like many people I’ve met since my daughter died by suicide in December 2020, I have tried to turn my grief into something positive. Such a positive response is quite common. Generally, for those whose child has died in this manner, their uppermost if not necessarily initial thought is that …
If you want to know how to look after suicidal young people, you can’t do much better than read this. It’s the true story of a teenager who credits her teacher with saving her life. What follows is a summary – the full version can be listened to at BBC …