A mum described as "the life and soul of the party" died just days after returning from a weekend away at Butlins.
Laura Corkin, 43, had been struggling with her mental health and was referred to support team the Initial Response Service (IRS). The mum-of-three began to worry about money and her career and after being referred to the newly-established service in March 2022 she was due to be spoken to within five days.
However, due to staff shortages she was not spoken to for eight days. An inquest at Accrington Town Hall was held into the mum-of-three's death where it was heard the weekend before she died, she had been on enjoying an 80s-themed weekend away at Butlins in Skegness with her friends "singing and dancing just like she always was".
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Laura's sister Anna said she was the "life and soul of the party", but upon her return home she became anxious and overwhelmed, LancsLive reports. Laura's case with the IRS was later upgraded to urgent, with a one hour response time, due to a worsening in her condition.
David Riley, a mental health nurse involved in Laura's care, said: "Laura was very flat in her responses. She said she was feeling worthless but she said she could keep herself safe and agreed to work with the Home Treatment Team."
On Tuesday, May 2, a practitioner from the Home Treatment Team carried out an assessment at Laura's home in Windsor Avenue, Rossendale, when Laura, a keen swimmer and volunteer at a food bank, said she did not feel like she was a good mum and would consider treatment at Oak House crisis house in Burnley when she returned from Butlins.
Staff from the service tried to contact Laura a number of times during the week before she died, but Laura told them it was not convenient to talk. However, she agreed to a home visit on May 10. During a phone call that morning she said she was feeling overwhelmed and needed to go out in the afternoon.
A visit was arranged for 3.30pm but when the staff member went to the house, Laura did not answer the door. At 5.30pm Laura's partner Andrew Duffy returned to the house and found Laura's body in the bathroom. A calling card from the Home Treatment Team was also found.
Service manager for the Urgent Care Pathway Jacqueline Latham said the IRS was a new service, fully launched in March 2022, to provide a 24/7 triage into the mental health service. However, starting without sufficient resources meant some patients were not seen within the recommended timescales.
Ms Latham said Laura had specifically asked the IRS not to discuss her case with her partner and told her family: "I am sure she did not want you to know the extent to which she was suffering." However the service is now fully resourced and steps have been taken to ensure patients are seen within recommended timeframes.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, Coroner Kate Bissett said: "It is very clear that Laura was very much loved, testament to the very many people who have come today to hear about her. She was a much loved partner, daughter, mother, sister, cousin and friend.
"Her mental health declined due to a number of competing pressures she felt about letting people down. There is not a person in this room who thought she let them down in her life. A GP referral was made on March 29. That was a routine referral for triage which should have resulted in her being seen within five days but took eight days. It was then upgraded to urgent care.
"I suspect every one of you will be racking your brains for the last conversation you had or the last text message or the thing you could have done in your mind to stop this happening but I am quite satisfied you all did all you could.
"Laura's mind was in a place where she wasn't necessarily telling you what she was feeling for want of protecting you because she loved you. What would have happened if that referral had happened within the five days? She might have gone and said 'I'm in a very dark place and having active suicidal thoughts and I need help. That might have led to the Home Treatment Service taking action.
"She might have gone and said, as she did to the GP, 'I'm okay. I love my children. I have these thoughts but I am not going to act on them'. In that case a referral would have been made to a service which could have taken weeks with online resources provided."
The coroner said she was satisfied changes had been made to the IRS to ensure patients were seen within the recommended timescales. Turning to Laura's family, she added: "She sounds wonderful. I am genuinely so sorry for you and I can only hope you now have some answers."
Speaking after the inquest, Laura's mum, Margaret Sutcliffe, said: "We loved her and miss her so much. She was loved by so many people and she really, really loved her children."
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