Humber Bridge staff need more suicide prevention training - coroner

A Humber Bridge spokesperson said the coroner's concerns were being reviewed

Humber Bridge security staff need better training to help people who go to the site when suffering a mental health crisis, a coroner has warned.

An inquest into the death of Elizabeth Watson, 33, heard she took her own life at the bridge on 5 December 2022.

Coroner Lorraine Harris was told a vulnerable person is escorted from the bridge every day but there was no "structured training policy" for staff.

A Humber Bridge spokesperson said the coroner's concerns were being reviewed.

Ms Watson, a primary school teacher, was described as "intelligent and fun-loving," according to a prevention of future deaths report issued by the coroner.

The inquest at East Riding and Hull Coroners' Court heard that her mental health had begun to decline in 2019.

On 5 December 2022 she was seen on the bridge by security staff in the control room and was observed for "a matter of minutes," but before assistance was requested Ms Watson had jumped.

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.

'Vitally important'

Ms Harris said she was concerned about the level of training provided for the "vitally important role" of staff at the bridge in identifying people in distress.

She said she had been told that employees were "very competent".

However, staff were expected to monitor anyone walking on the bridge for signs of poor mental health as well as carrying out their other security duties.

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Workers spent eight weeks being mentored by other staff and completed an online suicide prevention course, the inquest heard, but received no training in "how to talk and negotiate with people in crisis".

Ms Harris said that without this training, an already "difficult job" became "very difficult".

She added that delays in the time it took for emergency services and mental health specialists to reach the scene meant staff were sometimes left to care for vulnerable people "for many hours".

'Challenging work'

A spokesperson for the Humber Bridge said they were "disappointed by the wider comments" made by the coroner in the report.

"The work our people do at the Humber Bridge on a daily basis is wide ranging and challenging and this does include, unfortunately, dealing with distressed individuals," they said.

"We are currently reviewing all the points raised in the report and will respond directly to the coroner in due course."