Cumbria mental health: Mum's battle for her daughter

The mother of a Cumbrian teenager who tried to end her own life says emergency mental health services are failing her daughter.

The girl, who had self-harmed, took an overdose earlier this year.

The trust providing mental health care in north and west Cumbria said there had been a significant increase in calls for its services.

It said it aims to offer "phone contact within four hours of every referral" depending on levels of demand.

Mum Emma told BBC Radio Cumbria her daughter had been self-harming and attempted to end her life in March.

"It was something you never expect to deal with as a parent, you expect to maybe deal with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and teenage pregnancies, the last thing you think about is mental health, suicide attempts and self-harming but from the messages I've had it's happening so much in our society," she said.

'Feel like a failure'

Her daughter went to hospital after the attempt and was told someone from the Children's Crisis Team would come and see her, but no one did.

Eventually the family were told by someone from the adult team it was ok to go home and that a visit would be arranged to their home the following day.

No one visited, but the family did receive a telephone call.

"They spoke to my daughter for maybe about five minutes and they then said to me 'we've assessed her and we don't see that she's a risk and we're closing the case'."

Fearful her daughter needed help, Emma called again and her daughter did get a visit and was assessed as "high risk."

"I felt so alone and scared and as a mother when your child is going through this you feel like you are a failure", she said.

David Muir, group director for the North Cumbria Locality at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust said they had seen a "significant increase in demand" for teenagers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the North Cumbria Universal Crisis Team has no waiting list, and "offers initial phone contact within four hours of every referral, levels of demand and risk permitting".

Emma said she continues to wait for a referral to the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) team.

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