A 16-YEAR-OLD girl tragically took her own life after escaping a hospital, as her heartbroken family pay tribute.
Ellame Ford-Dunn, from West Sussex, was found dead after “no suitable bed could be found” for her on a mental health ward, an inquest was told.
The teenager, who had a history of mental health struggles, was admitted to Worthing Hospital on February 28, 2022.
Ellame was taken to a children’s ward after repeatedly self-harming, and was detained on March 10 under the Mental Health Act.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
But, an inquest held at West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Coroner’s Court today was told there were no beds for Ellame at a mental health facility.
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The youngster remained on the children’s ward but was under 24-hour one-to-one care with a registered mental health nurse.
However, Ellame escaped days later and attempted to take her own life when the nurse was occupied with another patient.
The 16-year-old was found in another room, but the following evening she managed to flee again.
Sussex Police were called to locate the teenager on March 20, and she was tragically found in critical condition on hospital grounds.
Ellame was sadly pronounced dead a short time later at around 9.30pm.
Joanne Andrews, assistant coroner for West Sussex, said Ellame had remained on the children’s medical ward at Worthing Hospital after she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act “as no suitable bed was available.”
In an emotional tribute to their daughter, Nancy and Ken Ford-Dunn, described Ellame as a “lovely, fun and caring, a sweet, loveable, delightful girl”.
Ellame, the eldest of three siblings, loved swimming with her younger brother.
Her devastated mother said: “She had a warm, caring disposition. She was the best big sister you could hope for. There is a great big gap left in our family. Our hearts are broken. She was so loved.”
The inquest was told Ellame began to struggle with her mental health after starting secondary school.
The teenager, who had autism, started self-harming and developed an eating disorder before trying to take her own life twice in 2019.
By 2020, Ellame was diagnosed as anorexic, placed under the care of Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAHMS), and spent 18 months as an inpatient in mental health units.
The following year she told her parents she had suffered sexual abuse.
Ellame was treated at The Priory Hospital, in Manchester, and Chalkhill Hospital – run by the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Professionals deemed Ellame fit for discharge in 2022 and a care plan was put in place with a paediatric psychiatrist.
But her condition tragically deteriorated once she returned home, and her self-harming worsened.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Heartbroken mum Nancy, told the inquest: “Ellame had concluded that professionals did not want to help her, she felt ignored and unsupported.”
Ellame was admitted to Worthing Hospital, Bluefin Ward, after attempting to take her own life.
The inquest was told despite one-to-one care, the teen had confided in her dad that she’d been left alone during the night.
Father Ken told the inquest he had seen her on March 20, with Nancy, and enjoyed their time together.
But after they left, Ellame stopped responding to her WhatsApp messages which sparked concern.
A worried Nancy called the hospital and was told her daughter had escaped around 15 minutes earlier.
Ken told the inquest he frantically drove to their local train station, before seeing emergency services headed towards the hospital.
He was told by officers his daughter was in “critical condition” upon arriving at around 9.30pm.
Nancy said she felt Ellame had been “failed” by mental health and social services, while the family had also felt unsupported.
Last November, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHST) was fined £200,000 after admitting to health and safety offences relating to Ellame’s death.
Chief nurse Dr Maggie Davies, spokesperson for UHST, said in November last year: “The loss of Ellame was a tragedy for her and for those who loved her.
“Colleagues involved in her care remain devastated by her death and the impact it continues to have on her family and friends.”
Dr Davies added: “We had a responsibility to protect her while she was in our care, and we are sincerely sorry that we were not able to do that.
“Everyone accepts that people with acute mental illness should not be in general hospital wards or A&E departments, but that does not lessen our duty to keep patients safe whilst efforts are made to provide them with more appropriate care.”
The inquest continues.
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