No family should have to endure the pain we are feeling
WIDOW SPEAKS OUT OVER RUGBY COACH’S DEATH AFTER MENTAL HEALTH BOSSES ADMIT HIS CARE WAS NOT UP TO SCRATCH
THE widow of an influential rugby league coach who hanged himself following a six-month battle with depression and anxiety has spoken of her family’s heartbreak after health bosses admitted his care was not up to scratch.
Dad-of-two Stephen Gartland, 45, was found dead at Rochdale’s Mayfield Rugby Club – where he coached and played – on August 19 last year.
He was well-loved in the community and in his youth played professionally for Rochdale Hornets, Oldham Roughyeds and Swinton Lions.
At an inquest into Mr Gartland’s death, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust admitted aspects of his care ‘fell below the standards expected.’
Mr Gartland – who was born and raised in Oldham – began to show signs he was suffering from mental ill-health in early 2016. The court heard he told medics he had self-harmed twice.
In May 2016, Mr Gartland sought help from Pennine Care. He spent time at the Moorside unit at Birch Hill Hospital before being discharged weeks before his death.
In an ‘untoward incident report,’ patient safety manager Matthew Walsh said Mr Gartland did not receive regular therapeutic one-on-one sessions at Moorside as he should have.
Those sessions, he said, would have given a mental health nurse the opportunity to judge whether Mr Gartland was a suicide risk.
Mr Walsh told the inquest Mr Gartland’s discharge plan was not properly structured or personalised, and the trust accepted the way Mr Gartland was dealt with was not best practice.
Senior coroner for north Manchester Joanne Kearsley said Mr Gartland was not neglected and that he had not shown a desire to kill himself in the days leading up to his death
Recording a narrative verdict she said: “There is no doubt that on several occasions Stephen presented with mental health problems and on two occasions he indicated he had self-harmed.
“There was nothing in the days leading up to Stephen’s death which raised more concerns than usual. There is no doubt in my mind he was still suffering from his mental illness.”
Mr Gartland’s widow, Joanne, from Rochdale, said: “The entire family was devastated by Stephen’s death and I, along with our sons Bradley and Liam are still trying to come to terms with it.
“We hope that the trust continues to learn from the issues which have been highlighted to ensure other families are spared the pain we have to endure on a daily basis. I do not want any other family to suffer like we have suffered – or like Stephen suffered.”
A spokeswoman for Pennine Care said: “On behalf the trust, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Stephen’s family.
“We respect the outcome of the inquest and apologise unreservedly that elements of the care we provided fell below the high standards we set ourselves. The trust launched an immediate and robust investigation into the care provided to Stephen.
“A range of improvements have already been made and others are in progress. The coroner is assured that these improvements will prevent a re-occurrence.”