The devastated family of a young mother who took her own life have spoken out about the catastrophic failings in her mental health care that they believe contributed to her tragic death.
Danielle Greaney, a 33-year-old mother-of-two from St Helens, Merseyside, ended her life in July 2023 after what her family describe as a series of missed opportunities by NHS professionals to intervene and save her.
A damning prevention of future deaths report from area coroner Katie Dickinson has revealed shocking details about Danielle's final days and the systemic failures that may have contributed to her death.
Missed Opportunities and Failed Safeguards
The coroner's report outlines how Danielle had been under the care of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust's community mental health team. Despite being identified as high risk and having a history of suicide attempts, critical errors occurred in her treatment.
"There were several occasions where opportunities to prevent Danielle's death were missed," the coroner stated. "The trust's own policies were not followed, and communication between teams appears to have broken down."
A Family's Heartbreaking Account
Danielle's sister, Stephanie Greaney, shared the family's anguish: "We watched Danielle deteriorate before our eyes, begging for help that never properly came. She was failed at every turn by the system that was supposed to protect her."
The family described how Danielle, who worked as a carer herself, had been struggling with her mental health for months but remained devoted to her two young children throughout her ordeal.
Systemic Failures Exposed
The coroner identified multiple areas of concern:
- Inadequate risk assessment procedures
- Poor communication between mental health teams
- Failure to follow up on missed appointments
- Lack of appropriate crisis planning
- Insufficient staff training in suicide prevention
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has been given until March 2024 to respond to the coroner's concerns and outline what steps they will take to prevent similar tragedies.
A Call for Change
Danielle's family are now campaigning for better mental health services and more robust safeguarding measures for vulnerable patients. "We don't want any other family to go through what we have," Stephanie said. "Danielle's death must not be in vain - we need to see real change in how mental health crises are handled."
The tragedy has sparked calls for greater accountability in mental health services and improved training for healthcare professionals dealing with high-risk patients.
