The NHS has apologised for failings in its mental healthcare services which were criticised as “neglect” by a coroner investigating the death of a transgender teenager in Brighton.
Sussex Partnership NHS Trust expressed condolences to the family of Axel Matters, who died by hanging in a flat on Surrey Street in April 2021, shortly after his eighteenth birthday.
The Trust says it should have been more proactive in meeting Axel’s support needs as he transitioned from child to adult mental health services.
The coroner criticised the lack of action by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and social services, who gave him an unsuitable accommodation placement on his own for two months.
A spokesperson for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our sincere condolences go to the family and loved ones of Axel Matters and we apologise for the failings in the care and support we provided.
“Through a multi-agency review into the events leading up to Axel’s death, we have recognised that we should have provided more proactive support to meet his needs.
“We have been working with partners to develop a new, more coordinated way to assess and manage the health and social care needs of vulnerable people and to improve the way we meet any additional needs of young people as they transition to adulthood.”
Axel had a history of mental health issues and had lived in 24-hour supported accommodation between June 2019 and January 2021.
In February 2021, Axel was placed in emergency unsupported accommodation after being discharged from Langley Green Hospital to police custody.
Despite never having lived alone, Axel was only visited twice by social workers in the two months before his death.
Angela and Melvill Price, Axel’s mother and step-father – who refer to Axel by his name at birth, Yasmin Price – said: “We trusted professionals to provide our daughter with the right care and support but were catastrophically let down.
“We completely agree with the coroner’s conclusions, but this should never have happened in the first place.”
The coroner investigating Axel’s death concluded that she would be making a Regulation 28 Prevention of Future Deaths Report, focussing on the national issue in the transitioning of children to adult services.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
