GP Practice Apologizes to Mother After Teen Daughter’s Death Following Delayed Mental Health Referral

The mother of an East Sussex adolescent who died by suicide has received an apology from her daughter’s general practitioner surgery regarding a missed mental health referral. Phoebe Macias, aged 14, was discovered deceased at her residence in Hastings in July. Her family asserts that she did not receive any mental health assistance prior to her death. She was brought to the Pebsham Surgery in Bexhill-on-Sea in January after she began to self-harm, but a referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Sussex was not made until April. According to documentation reviewed by the BBC, the GP practice extended its “sincerest apologies” to Phoebe’s mother, Tamzin Abbott. Ms. Abbott commented that the meeting with the GP surgery on December 12 “went better than expected.” She informed BBC South East: “When Phoebe first died, I was angry with everyone.” Ms. Abbott stated, “If the referral had been made, Phoebe would still be here.” She added, “She said to me when she found out she hadn’t been referred: ‘What’s the point? I might as well just die because no one cares’.” Ms. Abbott questioned, “How can I, as a mother, respond to that?” The general practice team indicated its intention to examine methods for making the clinic “more accessible and welcoming to teenagers and young adults.” It also stated it would explore ways to “improve systems and processes to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future.” A post-mortem examination has been conducted, although a date for an inquest has not yet been scheduled, the family reported. Ms. Abbott mentioned that the surgery “apologised for what happened” and committed to investigating the matter. She further stated, “They wanted to know ways that the surgery could move forward to prevent children’s deaths and we are going to have future meetings.” Ms. Abbott expressed that she missed Phoebe “dearly” and found it “so hard.” She remarked, “Phoebe would be happy as her voice has been heard in improvements.” Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings, commented: “We have more children in Sussex on NHS mental health waiting lists than ever before.” She continued, “We need more staff in the NHS to cut those waiting lists, so this government is hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.” Ms. Dollimore added, “We are also bringing in mental health support staff into every school, so that every child can access support in their school.” A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care declared it was “unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need.” They further stated, “We know that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that.” For those affected by the themes in this report, assistance and guidance are available through the BBC Action Line. Stay updated with BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Share your news ideas by emailing southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or sending a WhatsApp message to 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.