Trust to probe support offered to Keighley boy before death

Finn Hall was described as a "fun, clever, special" person by his mum, Hannah Hall

An NHS trust has said it will investigate a mother's claims that it did not do enough to protect her son before he took his own life.

Hannah Hall's son, Finn, 16, was found dead at their home on Friday.

Ms Hall said she contacted the metal health team in the days before his death but claims she was told to go to A&E if she was worried.

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust said there will be a "thorough investigation" of the case.

Ms Hall, from Keighley, described her son as a "fun, clever, special" person who would do "anything to help anybody".

But she said he had struggled with his mental health since the age of 11, when he developed an eating disorder.

She said Finn had been in and out of hospital in the year before he died following repeated incidents involving self-harming, adding that he "found every day a struggle".

An investigation will take place into Finn's case, a Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said

She said Finn asked for help and was known to the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

In the days before his death, the family phoned CAMHS twice because they were worried, she said.

"They said that if I was really worried about him to take him to A&E, but how do you know which time to be really worried when a child is constantly doing it?" she said.

"I wanted them to take it seriously, I wanted him to have the help that he desperately needed."

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Ms Hall said her son had been in hospital regularly because of self-harming incidents in the year before his death

In the wake of her son's death she has also called for extra resources for mental health services and encouraged parents to keep talking to their children.

She said: "How many more children are going to be lost in this system because there's not enough funding or time or people?

"I know how difficult teenagers are, I know how closed off kids can be, but if we can help just one other family we will have done something for Finn."

A spokesperson for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust said: "We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family following this tragic incident.

"Due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment on individual cases.

"We'd like to give our reassurances that we take issues of patient safety very seriously. In cases such as this we would undertake a thorough investigation to establish the facts and identify any learning for the services involved."