Boy died after neglect by Surrey mental health services

A coroner has concluded a 14-year-old boy who took his own life was failed by authorities.

Oskar Nash died on a railway line near Egham, Surrey, in January 2020.

The hearing was told his mother had repeatedly asked for Oskar to be given help but his case had been closed.

Coroner Richard Travers said Surrey's child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appeared to be "more concerned with reducing their waiting list than the needs of the child".

He recorded a verdict of suicide, contributed to by neglect on the part of Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust's child and adolescent mental health services.

The inquest heard that Oskar, who had Asperger's syndrome, had talked about suicide from the age of six, but his emotional and mental health was never clinically assessed, despite a series of requests to CAMHS throughout his lifetime, from the age of three.

In his conclusion Mr Travers said the boy's death was was "more than minimally contributed to" by the acts or omissions of CAMHS, operated by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

His mother Natalia Nash told the hearing her son's behaviour had deteriorated in the time leading up to his death, with Oskar sitting up all night in a dark room, wearing headphones, then sleeping during the day.'

She said: "He started burning pictures of himself that we had around the house and wanted to destroy his passport, it was like he was trying to erase any evidence that he existed".

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Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Mrs Nash added: "I feel very grateful to the coroner, that he took so much time and wanted to find out what happened to Oskar.

"It's giving me some hope that it will change for the future".

A spokesman for Surrey County Council said: "Oskar's death was a tragedy, and we would like to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

"Surrey County Council would like to make a full and heartfelt apology for our failings in relation to Oskar's educational and support needs.

"We take the Coroner's findings extremely seriously and are working with the appropriate agencies to ensure the right measures are put in place in response to those findings."

Dr Justin Wilson, Chief Medical Officer at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are devastated by the events that led to Oskar's tragic death and express our sincere condolences and apologies to Oskar's family.

"Significant changes have taken place to key aspects of how cases like Oskar's are handled.

"The inquest and conclusion were very thorough, and we will review it carefully, working with partner agencies in the system, to identify any further learning.

"We will invite Oskar's family to be part of that process".

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