Grieving mum's death raises concerns over hospital

Kath Brace, 32, died seven months after the death of her newborn son

A grieving mother took her own life after she was granted leave from a psychiatric hospital despite multiple suicide attempts.

Kath Brace, 32, was found dead near the Stonebow Unit in Hereford on 9 October 2022 – nine hours after she was granted leave from the hospital's Mortimer Ward.

The Hereford teacher's mental health had deteriorated after the death of her one-day-old son Otis and her family claimed she did not get the care she needed.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said it had "conducted a full review in order to find out what has happened."

Ms Brace's family are campaigning to improve maternity bereavement care and mental health support for families in Herefordshire.

The 32-year-old went into premature labour at 33 weeks in March 2022 and her son died a day later following complications.

She spent four weeks in hospital in May and was detained on the Mortimer Ward on 17 June for 10 days after an overdose attempt.

Ms Brace was detained under the Mental Health Act on two occasions

She was detained for a second time on 15 September after a further overdose and tried to take her own life again after she was granted unescorted leave on 24 September.

She was allowed to leave the site on 6 October before her fiance Dan Berry took her back because he was concerned about her condition.

Ms Brace was granted unescorted leave again on 9 October and told staff she was going to buy a coffee and return for her mother's scheduled visit.

But police were called after she failed to return and her body was found near the Stonebow Unit by her brother nine hours later.

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According to law firm Irwin Mitchell, a report from the trust said elements of its guidance around leave had not been followed.

During an inquest held on Friday, a jury found there were shortcomings in the risk assessments carried out before she was granted leave, the law firm said.

Ms Brace and her fiance Dan Berry lost their newborn son Otis in March 2022

Ms Brace’s mother Angie said the family had tried to raise concerns with the hospital trust over why staff had allowed her to leave the hospital.

But she said they had not been listened to and had felt "shut out" of the process.

“Kath had so much to give and it breaks all our hearts she’s no longer with us. Our family will forever remain heartbroken. The world is a much darker place without her," she said.

Ms Brace's sister-in-law, Rosie James, said there should be "correct therapy and support" available for people to access on a 24-hour basis.

"The thought that any other woman, man, father, mother, would have to go through something similar to what Kath had gone through and ultimately end in them taking their life, is just unimaginable." she said.

"Our goal would be to try and get some sort of protocol or pathway put in place. These people should have priority to services that they should be entitled to."

A spokesperson for the trust said: "Our deepest condolences go out to Kath’s family and loved ones.

"We fully accept the findings of the inquest and have conducted a full review in order to find out what has happened and if we can make changes to prevent deaths in the future.”