Lack of mental health beds contributed to UK teenager’s death, inquest finds

An inquest found that a lack of mental health beds and poor inter-agency communication contributed to the March 2022 death of 16-year-old Ellame Ford-Dunn on hospital grounds in West Sussex, UK. Ellame, who had a history of self-harm, was placed on an acute children’s ward at Worthing Hospital due to a shortage of appropriate mental health beds. The jury concluded that this placement was inappropriate and contributed to her death, along with inadequate mental health bed provision. The coroner will issue a prevention of future deaths report, and Ellame's parents are urging increased mental health funding. The inquest also highlighted issues with staff communication, handover procedures, and the hospital's policy for missing patients.