'My daughter's death could have been avoided'

Phoebe Macias, 14, was found dead at her home in Hastings in July

The mother of a teenage girl who took her own life is calling for specialist doctors to be introduced at GP surgeries to prevent future deaths.

Phoebe Macias was taken to her local GP practice in January after she started to self-harm, but did not receive a referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Sussex until April.

The 14-year-old was found dead at her home in Hastings on 20 July. Her family say she did not receive any mental health support before her death.

Her mother, Tamzin Abbott, said: “Phoebe may well still be here now if she received mental health support sooner.”

A post-mortem examination has taken place though a date has yet to be set for an inquest, the family said.

The family say the 14-year-old did not receive any mental health support before her death

Her mother believes every GP should have a paediatric doctor who is trained to help children who present with mental health concerns.

She said this would "take the pressure off staff in A&E if doctors had more powers to intervene earlier".

It would also "help reduce waiting lists for referrals to CAMHS".

Tributes

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our plans to put mental health support in every school and walk-in hubs in every community will also help prevent mental health issues from becoming more serious"

"As part of our mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide, the 8,500 new mental health workers we will recruit will be specially trained to support people at risk.”

Phoebe’s sister, Libby Macias, 24, from Margate, is taking part in a sky dive at Headcorn Aerodrome near Ashford to raise money for a mental health charity.

The family will also release pink and white balloons near the West Hill Cliff in Hastings in Phoebe’s memory.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the BBC Action Line.