Wherever Ewan turned, he was failed and wherever he asked for help, he was abandoned Ewan’s aunt, Karen Dickson
The family of a student who died after a long struggle with mental illness and addiction claim he was failed by every support service.
NHS Lanarkshire and a charity are now reviewing their dealings with Ewan Meldrum, 24, after he was found dead in his East Kilbride flat last month and his family say he slipped through gaping holes in the care system.
Ewan was studying for a degree in criminology at the West of Scotland University when, in 2016, he disappeared to Ireland where he was found trying to take his own life, and admitted to a psychiatric hospital. He was then diagnosed as being bi-polar.
He stayed in hospital for three months, but family members say that after returning home to Lanarkshire he was passed from agency to agency.
His aunt Karen Dickson, 54, a teacher, said: “What happened in Ireland was a traumatic experience for Ewan, but it did result in him finally getting the only substantial medical care that actually seemed to help him.
“As soon as he was back home in Scotland however, Ewan was passed from pillar to post by multiple agencies including South Lanarkshire Health & Social Care Partnership, the Community Psychiatric Nursing Team, Hairmyres Hospital, and the organisation Ypeople, which were supposed to support him. Each one of them let Ewan down.”
She said that in the last four weeks of his life, Ewan had come to the attention of the police at least four times. “Even when police were taking Ewan to Hairmyres Hospital, the psychiatric unit often refused to admit him or section him, even although he was voicing suicidal intentions and begging them to be sectioned.”
Ewan was referred to Lindsay House, a unit for the homeless with alcohol and substance abuse issues run by the charity Ypeople. Ewan’s uncle George Dickson, 57, a computer analyst,
said: “Staff at the hospital made it clear Lindsay House was not suitable for him, but there was nowhere else for him to go. There were people there who had histories of violence, serious criminal convictions, and we could see my nephew was completely out of his depth.”
While at the unit, Ewan’s drug addiction and mental health problems deepened. He was moved to a temporary flat, but a lack of support led to an ever more chaotic situation
and his Community Psychiatric Nurse was then withdrawn.
Dickson said: “Ewan was let down and abandoned by mental health professionals in South Lanarkshire who would actually tell him that his lifestyle choices were to blame. They refused to fully accept that his mental illness impacted his ability to control his drinking and drug use and therefore he was unable to keep himself safe.”
His family have now lodged an official
complaint with NHS Lanarkshire. The family’s MP, Dr Lisa Cameron, said: “I’m calling for a full inquiry into the catalogue of failures that led to the death of Ewan Meldrum.
“The overwhelming sadness of this whole tragedy is that the loss of Ewan was entirely avoidable if his repeated cries for help and support had not been treated in the way they were.”
NHS Lanarkshire said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Ewan’s family at this very difficult time. Unfortunately, due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss individual cases. However, we regret any instance where a family feels we have failed to provide the highest standard of care.
“We can confirm that we are in contact with the family and have advised that we will be taking forward a review of Ewan’s care, which the family will be invited to participate in, and all outcomes will be shared with them once complete.”
Ypeople said: “We have an ongoing internal investigation currently taking place in relation to the young man’s case with ourselves. This is confidential and the findings will be shared with the family.”
South Lanarkshire Council said: “We would like to extend our sympathies to Ewan’s family. However, we are aware that a review of Ewan’s care is being undertaken by colleagues in the health service, and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”