Essex inquest hears mum 'had to beg' over son's mental health care

Julia Hopper said her son Chris Nota needed specialist care

The mother of a 19-year-old man "had to beg to be involved" in the care of her son who died after a mental health unit discharged him, an inquest heard.

Chris Nota, from Southend, had autism, epilepsy and learning disabilities and died on 8 July 2020.

At the inquest into his death in Chelmsford, his mother Julia Hopper said she told an NHS mental health team "she was scared her son would die".

The inquest is expected to continue for three weeks.

Mr Nota was found fatally injured on a street in central Southend.

Julia Hopper told the inquest in Chelmsford of the "excruciating" stress of finding that her son was left to his own devices while being treated at a rehabilitation unit

In a statement, Ms Hopper described how her son's mental health deteriorated after his grandmother's death in 2016, and that it combined with pressures he felt surrounding his GCSEs and a possible stress reaction to the pandemic when lockdown began in March 2020.

Ms Hopper added that she believed his cannabis use started after his grandmother's death.

She told the inquest: "I do not think cannabis was the cause of the problems, but it did not help."

Ms Hopper described how, as a child, her son "loved watching fireworks, being swung around, and chocolate in every form".

But his autism meant he was bullied at school and she repeatedly pleaded with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which provides mental health services in the county, and Southend Borough Council (now Southend City Council), to have her son assessed by autism specialists.

Chris Nota's mother said she felt "utterly dismissed" by mental health teams

He first tried to take his life in 2016, she said.

He was admitted to a unit in London after he had travelled to the capital and attempted to take his life again.

In a statement, staff at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) said there was no evidence he suffered from serious mental health problems or psychosis, but he was suffering from paranoia.

Chris later had an inpatient stay at Rochford Hospital near Southend, and when he was due to be discharged, Ms Hopper said she phoned to raise concerns, but staff put her on speakerphone to discuss it and asked her "what is this risk you are talking about… your son wants to do this".

She said she pleaded for a specialist autism assessment and was worried she would not be able to keep him safe on her own.

Ms Hopper told the coroner she felt "utterly dismissed" and that she was excluded from meetings about his discharge.

She also says on one occasion in April 2020, staff failed to tell her that her son had tried to take his life again, despite him signing a form asking for her to be informed about his care.

Chris was also admitted to a psychiatric ward in Basildon Hospital and Ms Hopper told the inquest that, when she called an EPUT doctor about his treatment, they "threatened to hang up when I questioned the lack of support".

On 9 June, Ms Hopper said she told EPUT that Chris was not safe at home, but a doctor declared him fit for discharge.

Cannabis 'making him worse'

He was placed in the Hart House rehabilitation unit in Southend, and Ms Hopper was concerned he could "come and go as he pleased", and that he was with other residents who were older, and did not have autism.

While she was out driving, she spotted Chris striding across a dual carriageway and he told her he had been left to his own devices and wanted to buy drugs.

Ms Hopper said: "The stress of this was excruciating, he needed specialist help and smoking cannabis was just making him worse."

She added that because of her frustration with her son not getting specialist help, she had booked a private autism assessment for the 15 July.

The last time she saw him was on the 7 July, the day before his death, when he seemed tired and unhappy, but they each told each other they loved one another.

She received a phone call from one of Chris's school friends saying they had seen on social media that he may have died.

The coroner's court heard there was no evidence he had been smoking cannabis immediately before his death.

The inquest continues.