Girl, 14, killed herself after ‘delays in NHS mental help’

Teenage victim of bullying at school was referred for urgent assessment that was held up by ‘staff deficits’

A “JOVIAL” 14-year-old girl who was bullied at school killed herself after delays in NHS help from mental health services, an inquest heard.

Blackpool Coroner’s Court heard Bella Greer was found by her mother Sarah on Oct 5 last year after going upstairs to invite her daughter for some cake at around 6pm.

Bella had been left upset on the day of her death because of an undisclosed matter with a pupil at Saint Bede’s Catholic High School in Lytham, the court heard.

A friend said she seemed to have “shrugged it off ” as she was known to do and she was also noted as having a “jovial and happy” personality.

Louise Rae, the coroner, read out statements that painted Bella as a positive young person, who showed no obvious signs of depression.

However, Ms Rae said Bella had been a victim of bullying from a young age and had moved from Lytham High School because of the way the pupils treated her.

The court heard the unpleasant behaviour towards “sweet” and “generous” Bella resumed at her new school.

She went to see her doctor with her mother for help with her mental health just under a month before her death.

The court heard Bella had been referred for an urgent mental health assessment by her GP on Sept 12.

The referral was not received as it had gone to the wrong email address.

On Sept 14, a member of the Adverse Childhood Experiences team helped Bella to complete a self-referral.

This was again marked urgent, meaning it should have triggered a triage review within 48 hours and an assessment within two weeks. However, it was not triaged until Oct 3 because of “staff deficits”, the court heard.

A letter from Bella’s mother to police was read at the inquest, where she said her daughter had enjoyed a “really happy day” with her sister on Oct 4.

They had been out for food, and Bella had been dancing around with no signs that she was planning to end her life the following day, it said.

Her mother said she did not believe Bella’s actions were a deliberate attempt to end her life, but a cry for help.

A statement by Det Insp Montgomery, the senior investigating officer who took over the case on Oct 6, described how Bella had left a note that referred to “typical teenage girl” problems. The officer said this included an incident with another pupil who had upset her.

‘A detailed investigation into care delivery concerns identified triage and communication issues’

Det Insp Montgomery added there was no evidence of any pre-planning,

The coroner ruled that as Bella left a note it was evidence that she had intended to end her life.

Ursula Martin, chief strategy and improvement officer at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, called Bella’s death “regrettable” and extended condolences to her family.

“After Isabella’s death, we carried out a detailed investigation into care delivery concerns, which identified triage and communication issues between teams. We take the findings very seriously, they offer us an opportunity to learn lessons so we can endeavour to do everything to try to prevent similar issues occurring.

“We have addressed the issues highlighted through enhanced training and reviewed communication protocols.”

Bella Greer, who was described as ‘jovial’, took her own life after she was bullied at school and suffered mental health care delays