‘Don’t let other families suffer our pain’
Widow’s plea after inquest into rugby coach’s death
THE widow of an influential rugby league coach who hanged himself following a six-month battle with depression and anxiety has spoken of her 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.
Known as ‘Garty’ to his friends, 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’.
His widow Joanne urged bosses to ensure no other family suffers a similar tragedy.
A coroner said Mr Gartland - who was ‘born and raised’ in Oldham - was not neglected and that he had not shown a ‘desire’ to kill himself in the days leading up to his death.
Mr Gartland began to show signs he was suffering from mental ill-health in early 2016. He became quieter, more withdrawn and lost weight.
The court heard he told medics he had selfharmed twice before his death.
In May 2016, Mr Gartland sought help from Pennine Care. He spent time at the Moorside unit at Birch Hill Hospital before being discharged just weeks before his death.
The hearing was told an ‘untoward incident report’ was published in the wake of Mr Gartland’s death.
In it, patient safety manager Matthew Walsh said Mr Gartland did not receive regular therapeutic one-one-one sessions during his stay at Moorside as he should have.
Those sessions, Mr Walsh said, would have given a mental health nurse the opportunity to assess Mr Gartland’s progress and judge whether he was a suicide risk.
Mr Walsh told the inquest Mr Gartland’s discharge plan was not properly structured or personalised.
He was visited by nurses at his home, but his outpatient care was inadequate, the report said.
Mr Walsh said: “The trust completely accepts that the way Mr Gartland was dealt with was not best practice.
“The process at the start should have been more clear and should have necessitated a more structured discharge from the team. I think there should have been a clear discussion about how the home treatment team were going to work with Mr Gartland.”
Barrister Darrel Crilley, representing Mr Gartland’s family, said he had been ‘beset by a florid mental illness’, but did not intend to kill himself.
“He did not have the sufficient state of mind to evaluate properly,” Mr Crilley added.
Recording a narrative verdict, senior coroner for north Manchester Joanne Kearsley said: “He was a sociable man, he was a family man, he was a man involved in his beloved sport of rugby.
“There are no words to describe the turmoil and bewilderment family and friends felt during 2016.
“There is no doubt that on several occasions Stephen presented with mental health problems and on two occasions he indicated he had selfharmed.
“Apart from these clearly worrying behaviours, there were no further attempts and no overt express desires for suicide.
“There was nothing in the day 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 at inquest to ensure other families are spared the pain we have to endure on a daily basis.
“Nothing can bring Stephen back of course, but simply, I do not want any other family to suffer like we have suffered - or like Stephen suffered.”
Following Stephen’s death, his family launched a charity - The Stephen Gartland Foundation - to encourage men to talk about mental ill-health.