Mental health services need to improve - coroner

Claire Driver was only seen twice by professionals despite her deteriorating mental health

An inquest has found that mental health services need a more "assertive" approach when dealing with vulnerable patients after the body of a mentally ill woman was found in woodland.

Claire Driver, 44, had a history of substance abuse and had been under the care of a community mental health team when her body was found in a stream in Silkstone, Barnsley, in September 2024 - more than two months after she went missing.

The inquest also found Ms Driver was only visited by mental health professionals twice over a six-week period despite clear signs of deterioration.

The coroner's Prevention of Future Deaths report called for the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to implement changes to "prevent similar tragedies".

'Inadequate care'

The two visits Ms Driver received between late 2023 and early 2024 came after multiple reports from family, housing officers and police expressing concern for her wellbeing, the court heard.

Senior Coroner for South Yorkshire Tanyka Rawden found that a more proactive approach could also have prevented Ms Driver's condition from worsening to the point where she required detention under the Mental Health Act in January 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She said the lack of engagement and communication between the mental health team and the police, especially when Ms Driver was in custody, was a "key concern".

The inquest also heard that many staff working with mental health patients were not required to receive mandatory training on the impact of substance misuse on mental health conditions.

Ms Rawden found this may have contributed to the inadequate care Ms Driver received.

The report also called for "improved communication between health services and other agencies, such as the police and housing authorities, to ensure that individuals in distress receive the timely care and attention they need".

The trust is required to respond to the coroner's recommendations by 19 May.

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