‘THEY FOBBED HIM OFF AND NOW OUR DAUGHTER HASN’T GOT A FATHER’
Widow of security guard says he was failed by services ‘despite being a danger to himself’:
A Grief-stricken mum believes her security guard husband was ‘fobbed off’ by mental health services before he was found dead.
Debbie Oakes has spoken out following the death of ‘muchloved’ Gary who had made two attempts on his life in the weeks before his death. On one occasion he tried to hang himself. On another he took an overdose.
But despite his pleas for help, Mrs Oakes says her husband was not admitted to Harplands Hospital, even though he was a ‘danger to himself ’.
Fitness-fanatic Mr Oakes, aged 49, was found dead at his home in Burslem on January 3 – leaving his wife to bring up their child on her own.
The children’s support worker, aged 41, of Meir, said: “My husband took a lethal concoction of drugs after numerous attempts to try and get some help from the crisis team. They just fobbed him off. I’m not saying that just to be obnoxious, they really did just fob him off.
“The result is my husband is no longer here and my daughter hasn’t got a father. I just think it’s really unfair. There are far too many people today suffering with mental health for it to be that kind of situation where they feel that the only way out is to take their own life.
“I’m not under any illusion that Gary is the only one the mental health team has failed. But he was mine. I feel like I’ve got to push this. If I don’t do something about it I’ll have failed him too.”
Mrs Oakes has spoken out after her husband’s inquest was adjourned to establish what contact the mental health team had with him in the weeks leading up to his death.
She added: “He was unable to stand the noise in his head. He would say ‘if nobody helps me I’m going to hurt myself’. I had countless conversations with the crisis team.
“Depending on who you spoke to, you got a different answer. My husband approached them first. They told him to present himself at the Harplands, which he did.
“He spoke to one of the doctors but he just completely washed his hands of him. He dismissed everything he said. He was just told to keep taking his antidepressants. They weren’t interested at all.”
Mrs Oakes says her husband did later receive a referral, after a nurse pushed his case forward.
She added: “It was like a bandage for an amputated knee, it was something at the time just to give his brain a little bit of rest.
“From there every contact with the mental health team, the crisis team, the home treatment team, was just absolutely diabolical.”
Mrs Oakes says she had taken on a huge amount of responsibility, working nights as a support worker, homeschooling their daughter, and looking after her husband when his illness became too much.
At present it is unclear exactly what contact Mr Oakes had with the mental health services before his death. A post mortem report found ‘a number of drugs present’ in his system at ‘levels consistent with overdose and the level associated with fatality’.
For Mrs Oakes, however, the fact that her husband was allowed to act as he did leaves little doubt in her mind. She said “I did tell them on one occasion if something like that was to happen to my husband I would hold them fully responsible.”
A spokesperson for North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust said: “Our thoughts and condolences at this time are with the family and friends of Gary Oakes.
“All necessary and appropriate internal procedures including the normal process of a Serious Incident review, were taken by the trust in the aftermath of this tragic incident and have been concluded. We are participating fully in the coroner’s Inquest and we cannot comment any further in detail about this matter until the inquest has been concluded.
“The trust is dedicated to supporting patients in crisis and asks anyone seeking advice and support to contact our crisis care centre, which is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year for anyone of any age on 0300 123 0907.”