Sussex woman's hospital death preventable, inquest told

The mother of a 19-year-old woman who died while she was detained under the Mental Health Act in Sussex has told an inquest that her death was preventable.

Jessie Eastland Seares was found with a ligature around her neck by staff at Hove's Mill View Hospital in 2022.

Despite attempts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her mother, Katherine Eastland, said she was "regularly caught in the middle of services fighting over who was or wasn't responsible for her care."

Ms Eastland said: "I believe Jessie's death was preventable and would not have happened had she had understanding, kind and supportive care."

She and Jessie's father, Andy Seares, have said they felt services were "reluctant" to help them.

Their daughter, from Saltdean, was found during an hourly observation in the early hours of 17 May 2022.

She had been detained under the Mental Health Act since 4 March that year and admitted to Caburn Ward, a unit for people with acute mental health problems which forms part of the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The inquest in Brighton heard the teenager was autistic, had a history of complex physical and mental health issues and self-harm, and had been diagnosed with dyspraxia, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, sensory processing disorder, depression and anxiety, and disordered eating.

Her parents have raised concerns about the care she received while living in the community, the decision to detain her at Mill View and the care she received there.

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Ms Eastland described her daughter as very caring and extremely creative.

She said "little interest" was shown in Jessie's physical difficulties when she was very young and she and her husband were not informed when Jessie told a school counsellor in Year 5 she was hearing voices and having hallucinations.

Under the care of East Sussex County Council and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Jessie had been an inpatient in hospital and care settings in the community since January 2017.

She was transferred to adult mental health and social care services when she turned 18 in December 2020.

Ms Eastland said: "Too often, services are divided so they cannot treat the whole person. It feels that lessons from reviews are not being implemented. From my experience, the voice of carers and cared for are not being heard, and that time is spent on managing us so that we bother them less."

The inquest, which is being held with a jury, continues.

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