A grieving mother has said she will 'never forgive' the mental health unit and hospital that failed her 12-year-old daughter, who took her own life while suffering from an undiagnosed brain condition.
A Tragic Failure in Care
Mia Lucas was found unresponsive in her room at the Becton Centre, part of Sheffield Children’s Hospital, on 29 January 2024. The inquest into her death heard that Mia's extreme behaviour began over the Christmas 2023 period, where she started hearing voices and attacked her mother.
Her family, becoming increasingly concerned, called an ambulance which took her to the NHS Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham on New Year’s Eve. There, she was assessed as having an “acute psychotic episode” and was subsequently sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The Shocking Diagnosis Revealed
Part-way through a nine-day inquest, a pathologist revealed new post-mortem results that showed Mia was actually suffering from autoimmune encephalitis, a rare swelling of the brain. This condition was the underlying cause of her psychosis.
The diagnosis came as a profound shock to Mia's family and friends, who burst into tears in the public gallery. Her mother, Chloe Hayes, learned of the true cause of her daughter's illness during the proceedings.
Jury Finds Multiple Failings
On Thursday, an inquest jury concluded that the failure to undertake a lumbar puncture at QMC before Mia's transfer to the Becton Centre “possibly contributed to Mia’s death”. While blood tests and an MRI scan at QMC were negative, doctors decided against further tests on brain wave function and spinal fluid, which could have identified the encephalitis.
The jury also found a failure at the Becton Centre to respond adequately to Mia’s risk of self-harm after she was transferred there on 9 January. Mia died just three weeks later.
In a narrative conclusion, the jury stated: “The failure to undertake a lumbar puncture at this point meant that potential indicators of autoimmune encephalitis were missed. This possibly contributed to Mia’s death.” The senior Sheffield coroner, Tanyka Rawden, said she would write to Health Secretary Wes Streeting about the lack of national guidance for testing for this rare condition.
A Mother's Heartbreak and a Legacy for Change
Following the inquest, Mrs Hayes said her daughter was a “happy, fun, friendly girl who had so much to live for.” She emphasised that Mia's extreme behaviour was confined to the final few weeks of her life, stating, “for the other 12 years, she was a beautiful soul who loved life and loved her family, and that’s how we want her to be remembered.”
In a powerful statement, Mrs Hayes said, “My beautiful little girl has lost her life and I will never forgive the Queen’s Medical Centre or the Becton Centre for failing her... I have never believed for a moment that Mia ever wanted to take her own life.”
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, issued an apology, stating the trust would take the inquest's feedback on board. She confirmed that in all future cases of suspected autoimmune encephalitis, a lumbar puncture will be performed, even with atypical presentations like Mia's.
Amy Rossall, the family's solicitor from Hudgell Solicitors, expressed hope that the lessons learned from Mia's tragic death would “help to avoid other families losing their children to the condition.”
