I’m not sure about you, but I have serious concerns with the new proposals for police in England and Wales regarding welfare checks and critical support for people in crisis. In June of this year, it took over 40 minutes for police and ambulance to reach my niece, in a busy residential area of Yorkshire for an urgent call for help, and risk of suicidal death. Three days later she passed away, with the medical team turning off the life support machines, following a scan on her brain. She had completed suicide.

There was no way back for her without detailing the barbaric sad way she took her lifeWithout detailing the barbaric sad way she took her life, there was no way back for her. My niece is called Chelsea. She would have been 27 years old next week.

I genuinely don’t believe that Chelsea really wanted to die – her mind was broken, and she was in pain with many stresses in her world. She had reached out for help on several occasions to the CMHT (Community Mental Health Team), and as usual, pressures of time, and resources meant that she slipped through the net.

I was with Chelsea in hospital, and with her Mum, Kelly, my little sister. The pain of heartbreak was unbearable, watching my sister throw herself at her baby, not wanting to let her go.

If the government are proposing “Right Care, Right Person” where is the infrastructure fo rmental health ambulances or first responders within communitites?

I am at a loss. I have dealt with many mental health emergencies over the years, and without question, far too many officers and paramedics are not fully equipped with the knowledge and approach to work with someone in psychosis crisis for example, or a person with Schizo-Psyco disorder, or a Bi-Polar hypo and many other situations.

I am determined to raise awareness and create some good from a terrible, tragic situation, and the ever lasting grief this is going to have on our family.

I have designed an on-line programme, facilitator led for Understanding Mental Health Disorders and How to Be A Mental Health First Aider.

If you’d like to make a difference in your family, at work and in your community, get in touch to join the programme. It’s free, donate or pay the fee. You choose.

Contact me at info(at)hayleytennant.uk