Girl, 12, died after being sectioned, inquest told

Mia Lucas, 12, was found unresponsive on 29 January 2024 and died the following day

A 12-year-old girl who was suffering acute psychosis died in hospital less than a month after being detained under the Mental Health Act, an inquest has heard.

The first day of the inquest into the death of Mia Lucas at Sheffield Children's Hospital in January 2024 heard she had earlier been admitted to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on New Year's Eve.

Mia, from Arnold, in Nottingham, had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act on 4 January and was transferred to the Becton Centre in Sheffield on 9 January.

She was found unresponsive at the specialist mental health unit on 29 January and was pronounced dead the next day, the inquest at Sheffield's Medico-Legal Centre was told.

The inquest heard that Mia had earlier been taken to the emergency department of Queen's Medical Centre.

Her grandmother had called emergency services because the girl had been trying to get knives from the kitchen and had been hearing voices.

Mia had told doctors that she had been hearing voices for up to a year and having thoughts about self-harm.

Her behaviour was so extreme she was assessed then detained under section 2 of the Mental Health Act.

The inquest was told that Mia, who had suffered a viral infection a few weeks before, had been showing signs of a mental health crisis for a few weeks prior to her hospital admission.

'Confused and agitated'

Dr Aiesha BaMashmous, a child and adolescent psychiatry consultant, told the inquest jury that Mia's behaviour had worsened and her personality had changed in the months leading up to New Year's Eve.

Following an assessment, Mia was sectioned after it was found she was suffering an "acute psychotic episode" and was a risk to herself or others.

The inquest heard that while Mia was on the paediatric ward at Queen's Medical Centre, she was heard discussing taking her own life and self-harm with another patient.

She had been acting "confused and agitated" and had to be sedated, the jury heard.

When asked by senior coroner Tanyka Rawden if she had a view on what caused Mia to have such a psychotic episode, Dr BaMashmous said there could be a number of factors.

Dr BaMashmous noted that Mia had suffered both verbal and physical bullying at school and had recently moved home.

The consultant told the jury: "Maybe she was quite overwhelmed and that could have added to her presentation."

She also described how psychiatric staff asked paediatric colleagues to carry out tests to make sure there was no physical illness which could explain her psychotic behaviour.

Mia (right) pictured with her mother Chloe Hayes, who attended the inquest with other family members

Rebecca Keating, a clinical director at the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, explained how the Becton Centre at Sheffield Children's Hospital was chosen for Mia's admission because it was one of the few units that accepted patients under 13 years old.

However, it did not have a bed available until 9 January, when she was transferred.

The coroner told the jury of seven women and five men that she wanted them to think about three things over the 10 days of the hearing.

She said the first was "Mia's mental health history, including the cause of her behaviour".

The second was the placement of Mia at the Becton Centre, and the third was the care she received at that centre "including risk assessments around self harm".

During the first day of the inquest, Mia's mother, Chloe Hayes, sat in the public gallery listening to proceedings with a number of members of her family.

Ms Hayes has previously described how Mia was interested in singing, drawing, crafts and horse riding, and how she had ambitions to open a beauty salon or become a vet.

The inquest continues.

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