Families promised mental health inquiry decision
ReutersFamilies calling for a public inquiry into an NHS trust say they have been promised a decision next month.
Relatives of former Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) mental health trust patients met Health Secretary Wes Streeting to raise their concerns about standards of care.
Streeting said he was was taking the case for a public inquiry "extremely seriously".
TEWV said it would "co-operate fully as required with openness and transparency".
The father of 17-year-old Christie Harnett, who took her own life in 2019 while in the trust's care, said a public inquiry would give them "closure".
Family members travelled from Middlesbrough to Westminster for the meeting.
Afterwards, they said Streeting had told them a decision about whether or not to hold a public inquiry would be given in writing by the end of March.
Streeting said he wanted to thank the families who gave up their time to meet him and share their "harrowing experiences".
"Anyone receiving mental health care deserves safe, high-quality care and to be treated with dignity and respect," he said. "The care their loved ones received fell well short of that mark, with tragic consequences."
He said he wanted to see the trust "act now on existing reports and findings, to prevent more lives being lost in the future".
"I am taking the issues raised and the case for a public inquiry extremely seriously and I have committed to come back to the families on the next steps," he added.
Family handoutTEWV was previously ordered to pay £215,000 for safety failings which contributed to the deaths of two vulnerable patients, including Christie.
Her dad Michael Harnett said a public inquiry would be about "accountability".
"This will leave no stone unturned and it'll give us the closure that we need," he said.
They met the health secretary on what would have been Christie's birthday and the meeting lasted almost two hours.
A spokesperson at the trust said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the families who have lost loved ones.
"Their pain is unimaginable."
It said changes it had made were "starting to have a positive impact".