Inquest – a family’s perspective

My much loved daughter in law Mariana Pinto died, aged 32, on 16 October 2016.  The Coroner, issued a narrative verdict at the end of the inquest, on 13 March 2017:   “Mariana Pinto died on Sunday, 16 October 2016, when she stepped over the balcony of her home, fell from …

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Family knowledge in a mental health crisis

I’ve had a few experiences of a loved one having some kind of breakdown or mental health crisis. What I have learnt is that the process of assessing a person in crisis takes very little, if any, account of the knowledge of the person’s loved ones/family/carers. The mental health crises …

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Navigating – an advocacy story

Trying to do a good job when you’re not completely sure of what you’re doing is difficult and can be very stressful. I think it happens to all of us. Most of us navigate our way through this by turning to a colleague and saying “I’m not sure how to do …

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The importance of difficult conversations

Last week I was speaking at a healthcare conference in London run by HC-UK. The majority of delegates were senior clinicians and management from NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers. At the end of my presentation, I asked for questions. There were some very good questions (some of which I’ll come back to …

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“Misguided and Dangerous”

It was announced on Wednesday 17 July that the NHS has decided to stop funding the automatic investigation of all killings by mental health patients. This announcement took many people totally by surprise, and in the case of families bereaved by mental health homicide, shock and horror.  Making Families Count …

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