Jury criticizes health trusts over teenager Lucy Curtis's suicide after CAMHS wait
A jury has criticized health trusts over the care of teenager Lucy Curtis, who took her own life after an eight-month wait for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The inquest highlighted failures in mental health support and long waiting times.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A jury has criticised two health trusts over the care of 17-year-old Lucy Curtis, who took her own life after an eight-month wait for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The inquest into her death, which concluded last week, found that failings at the Riverside Adolescent Unit near Bristol, including not checking on her and delays in getting life-saving medical treatment, probably contributed to her death.
Lucy, from Almondsbury near Bristol, was referred to CAMHS in January 2023 but had to wait eight months for an appointment. She became a voluntary patient at Wessex House in Bridgewater, where she secretly learned new and more effective methods of self-harm from other patients. She was later transferred to the Riverside unit in Bristol. Despite extreme attempts at self-harm during home leave over Christmas 2023, she was placed on a 15-minute observation watch. On the evening of her death, she was seen at 10.20pm and found unresponsive at 10.43pm, 23 minutes later. A member of staff arrived late.
The jury returned a narrative verdict, criticising CAMHS and the trusts that ran both Wessex House and Riverside. It said the eight-month delay in CAMHS seeing Lucy may have contributed to her death. During the inquest, nurses described the ward as "chaotic" on the day she was found, with staff juggling multiple patients needing intensive support. Psychiatrists said that as Lucy's self-harming escalated, a Mental Health Act assessment would have been useful, though they could not say detention would have changed the outcome.
A separate review obtained by the BBC after Lucy's death revealed concerns about bullying among staff at the unit. The report found evidence of unprofessional communication, a lack of empathy and compassion, and staff making comments blaming children for their behaviour. Staff who raised concerns were reportedly told they might lose their professional registration. Lucy's parents said they were "completely heartbreaking" to read that blame was pointed within the team.
Both health trusts have apologised. The Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership said it is committed to embedding changes identified through reviews. The Riverside unit was closed temporarily and remains so. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said it is working on plans for a new inpatient CAMHS unit, with lessons from Lucy's death central to its design.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|
| A report found evidence of bullying and unprofessional communication among staff at the Riverside Adolescent Unit. | · | |
| A staff member was allegedly told they could lose their professional registration (PIN number) after Lucy Curtis's death. | · | |
| An inquest concluded that failings at the Riverside Adolescent Unit probably contributed to Lucy Curtis's death. | · | |
| Dr Moyes stated that a Mental Health Act assessment would have been beneficial given Lucy's escalating self-harm. | · | |
| Lucy was on a 15-minute observation watch despite a history of extreme self-harm attempts. | · | |
| Lucy's father requested staff to search her room for a potential self-harm item. | · | |
| Nurses reported that the ward was chaotic on the day Lucy was found unresponsive. | · | |
| Staff checked on Lucy at 10.20pm and found her well, but she was found unresponsive 23 minutes later. | · | |
| The jury indicated that an eight-month wait for a CAMHS appointment may have contributed to Lucy's death. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West focused on the chaotic conditions inside the Riverside unit, staffing pressures, and the internal culture of bullying revealed by a separate review. The reporting gave significant weight to evidence from nurses and psychiatrists during the inquest, as well as the family's reaction to the bullying findings. The tone was investigative, highlighting systemic failures and the trust's response.
- “the ward at Riverside Adolescent mental health unit was busy stretched and according to two nurses who gave evidence here chaotic”
- “a voluntary patient could not be stripped search”
- “the review identified conduct and behaviours that fell below the standards patients and staff deserve”
ITV News West Country centred the family's perspective and the emotional impact of Lucy's death, emphasising the eight-month wait for CAMHS and the jury's damning critique of the institutions. The report included direct quotes from Lucy's father about the lack of early intervention and the fact that Lucy learned new self-harm methods from other patients. The tone was sympathetic to the family and critical of the system's failures.
- “Lucy ultimately was just the most lovely, kind, caring young person that you could meet.”
- “There was no service to stop getting to the point of crisis.”
- “the jury's finding today was a damning critique of the institutions which are meant to help patients like Lucy in their hour of need.”
Broadcast Timeline
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