Mum's life a 'living hell' after son's death

Henry Curtis-Williams with his mum Pippa Travis-Williams

The mother of a man who took his own life five days after being discharged from hospital has said her life is a "living hell".

Henry Curtis-Williams, 21, was admitted to hospital in May 2016, after he was found by police on a bridge in Ipswich.

He was discharged the next day but was later found dead in Acton, London.

Following an out of court settlement, the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) admitted he should not have been discharged.

Mr Curtis-Williams had been detained under the Mental Health Act.

After being discharged he returned to London, where he was studying, but was found dead in Acton Cemetery days later.

Pippa Travis-Williams' son Henry killed himself five days after being detained under the Mental Health Act

In a joint statement his parents, Stuart Curtis and Pippa Travis-Williams, said: "The menial settlement amount offered by the trust does, in no way, reflect the loss of our son.

"Nor does it reflect the long term suffering inflicted on the whole family resulting from our bereavement, which could so easily have been prevented had the trust professionally safeguarded Henry at the time of his admission to their care."

His mother added: "It's just been hell, it still is a living hell for me."

Henry Curtis-Williams had photographed London fashion events and was gaining experience as a photographer's assistant

The trust is currently being inspected after being rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission in September 2018.

Lawyers for Mr Curtis-Williams' parents released part of a letter of admission by the Trust in which it said:" The deceased was incorrectly discharged from the Trust and should have been detained. But for the discharge, it is accepted that the deceased would not have taken his own life."

A spokesman for NSFT said: "The Trust accepts that some aspects of the care we provided were below the standard we aspire to. We repeat our apology to his family for this."

The Trust has made a number of changes since Mr Curtis-Williams' death including new protocols for referring inpatients to other mental health providers following their discharge.

Details of other organisations that can help are on the BBC Action Line website.