'Bright' girl's death sparked unit's closure

This article contains details of suicide and self-harm.

A teenager who tried to access mental health support before she died while in the care of a mental health unit was told she was "not high risk enough", an inquest has heard.

Lucy Curtis, 17, died at Southmead Hospital on 1 January 2024 after she was found unresponsive with a ligature around her neck at Riverside Adolescent Unit at Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol on 27 December 2023.

At the opening of Lucy's inquest at Avon Coroner's Court, Lucy's mother Michelle Curtis described a year-long struggle to secure effective care as her daughter's mental health deteriorated.

Her father Barry Curtis told jurors: "If love could have saved her, she would have lived forever".

Her family added that Lucy was an "animal lover and a massive Taylor Swift fan", as well as "bright and creative".

Barry told jurors that it was impossible to find words that did justice to what an amazing person Lucy was.

"So kind and generous, and would do anything to help others.

"Lucy was a very talented artist, often painting.

"Loved performing arts, performed at [Bristol] Hippodrome and West End. A music lover, a big fan of Harry Styles," he told the inquest.

He added that Lucy was a massive Swifty and had tickets to see her perform, but devastatingly never got to go.

"On New Year's Day 2024, our world fell apart and Lucy passed away.

"Seventeen years was nowhere near enough time. We miss her and the countless small moments that make her who she was," he said.

After her death, Barry walked to the highest point of every county in England and Wales in memory of her for charity.

The inquest is due to look at the circumstances of Lucy's death, including the response to referrals to CAMHS [child and adolescent mental health services] and information sharing between community services.

It is also due to examine care provided to Lucy at the unit.

The Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has been approached for comment.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

Speaking to the jury, coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said Lucy's GP first made a CAMHS referral on 31 January 2023, when Lucy was aged 16.

However, the court heard that, at an assessment in April, Lucy was told she did not meet the threshold for support.

Michelle said CAMHS advised she was "not high risk enough" to be accepted and instead suggested private counselling.

In the following weeks, Lucy's self-harm escalated, including incidents requiring stitches, while she continued to experience suicidal thoughts.

Her mother said the family became "stuck between" services, with confusion over whether medication could be prescribed by a GP or only through CAMHS.

Michelle told the hearing: "The fact she had gone so far outside her comfort zone told me she must have been feeling really desperate and to be told by CAMHS things weren't bad enough to help her must have been really crushing."

The inquest heard repeated attempts were made to re-refer Lucy to CAMHS as her condition worsened.

Despite growing concerns from her family and school, delays meant she was placed on a waiting list before eventually being accepted months later.

During this period, Michelle described feeling increasingly helpless as Lucy's behaviour became more severe, including frequent self-harm and expressions of intent to take her own life.

She told the court: "We were trying to follow professional advice... but it felt like the process had stalled and things were getting worse."

Lucy was admitted as a voluntary inpatient to Wessex House in August 2023.

Her mother said that, by this stage, clinicians had warned Lucy was "too suicidal to engage" in some therapies and the priority was to keep her safe.

However, because she was not detained under the Mental Health Act, Lucy was allowed periods of unsupervised leave from the unit.

Her parents told the inquest this caused them serious concern, with Michelle describing it as "totally illogical" given the level of risk.

The court heard Lucy accessed train tracks during one such period and later expressed that she felt unsafe, believing she should have had stricter supervision.

Evidence also suggested a significant escalation in harmful behaviour during her admission, including the use of ligatures, which her mother said had not been present before.

The inquest was told there were multiple ligature incidents on the ward, some of which the family said they were not initially informed about.

Lucy was discharged from Wessex House in late November 2023.

Curtis told the hearing this decision felt rushed and said there was no clear discharge safety plan in place when she returned home.

She said: "The reality of bringing Lucy home filled me with dread."

In the weeks that followed, Lucy continued to self-harm and took overdoses, the court heard, and was assessed on multiple occasions but not detained under the Mental Health Act.

Lucy was admitted to a second unit, Riverside, in December 2023 following further concerns about her safety.

The inquest heard she continued to use ligatures while there.

On 27 December, she was found unresponsive. In hospital, doctors confirmed catastrophic brain injury.

She died on New Year's Day.

Earlier in the hearing, Lucy's father, Barry Curtis, described her as a "kind and generous" teenager who excelled at school and loved the arts

He told the court: "It's impossible to find words that do justice to what an amazing person Lucy was."

He described her as "fiercely loyal" and said she cared deeply about animals and her family.

The inquest continues.

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