Latest news with #ChesterHospital
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I said ‘I love you' to my daughter then lived every parent's nightmare – the text I received in Aldi destroyed my life
Kathleen Firth could never have imagined what would be found in the park that day MUM'S HELL I said 'I love you' to my daughter then lived every parent's nightmare – the text I received in Aldi destroyed my life AS SHE waved goodbye to her daughter, Kathleen Firth could never have imagined it would be the last time she would see her. Kathleen, 37, experienced "every parent's worst nightmare" in February 2023, just five days before her daughter Alyssa Morris's 14th birthday. 6 Kathleen Firth misses her daughter Alyssa Morris every day Credit: Supplied 6 She describes Alyssa (seen here as a child) as beautiful and funny Credit: Supplied 6 Kathleen says it was a 'perfect storm' of circumstances that lead to her death Credit: Supplied Alyssa, 13, was found unresponsive in Brungerley Park in Clitheroe, Lancashire, where she used to build dens with her brother Jenson, 14. She had taken her own life after months of relentless bullying, something that Kathleen believes should - and could - have been prevented. Kathleen first became aware of the devastating news as she popped to a local Aldi for a shop. She believes that social media, bullying and Covid lockdown, created "the perfect storm" of circumstances that lead to her daughter's death. The mum-of-four suspected that Alyssa may have been neurodiverse but was unable to receive a formal diagnosis - which Kathleen believes prevented Alyssa from getting the correct support. Alyssa's family - including her father Chris Morris, 36, and siblings Poppy, 11, Jenson, 14 and Daniella, 17- have been fundraising for Papyrus, a mental health charity for young people, Chester Hospital and the firefighters, to help cope with their grief and to keep Alyssa's memory alive. They hope by sharing their story, they can raise awareness of the dangers of social media and online bullying. Support worker Kathleen said: "Alyssa took a part of me with her when she died, and life hasn't been the same since. "As a family, we are still coming to terms with the loss. "It haunts me that her death could have been prevented, had we known what was really going on and if she'd had the correct support. My husband killed himself the day after our honeymoon - there were no signs & he sent Valentine's flowers months later "I knew she'd been struggling, but we had no idea how bad the bullying had become. "Thanks to phones and social media it intruded into her home life too." Self-harm from aged 11 Alyssa was described as a "funny, beautiful, very clever" young girl, who loved drawing, Hamilton the musical and had dreams of working with animals. An inquest heard that the teenager began displaying "social anxieties" and had self-harmed. Alyssa first experienced bullying in 2020, and Kathleen claims that the bullying and harassment continued mainly online but included a physical attack at a bus stop in July 2022, which was reported to the police. She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age Kathleen Firth Kathleen said: "She'd started self-harming at 11, which was terrifying and left me feeling completely helpless. "I tried to speak to her about it, but it always led to arguments and she'd get very defensive. "Whenever I tried to seek medical help, she would get upset. "Alyssa wasn't comfortable discussing issues in front of people. 6 As a young child Alyssa loved drawing and had dreams of working with animals Credit: Supplied 6 It was severe bullying that lead Alyssa to take her own life Credit: Supplied "She became really isolated during covid, which didn't help her anxiety. "Covid separated her and the only form of communication she had was social media. "She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age. "But we had to become more lenient because she couldn't go out and play during covid. I don't ever want to let her name die with her Kathleen Firth "We monitored her phone every day but she deleted things she didn't want us to see." On Sunday 12 February 2023, Kathleen was shopping in Aldi when she was alerted to an incident in Brungerley Park after her sister texted her to ask "if the kids were okay". She "rushed" home to check on her children, but Alyssa was missing. You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, HUMEN Mind, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, 116 123 Alyssa was found unresponsive in the park "just a few minutes away" from her family home in Clitheroe and passed away shortly after at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. An inquest was held at Accrington Town Hall and Coroner Richard Taylor concluded that she had taken her own life. Kathleen blames social media platforms for "trivialising suicide" and believes that videos and content that she was exposed to "failed to make her understand the severity of her actions". Kathleen said: "I don't ever want to let her name die with her. "I want to keep her name alive. "I will always advocate for children's mental health. "It's two years since and it still doesn't feel real. "It doesn't feel like it's happened to me." If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Sky News
24-02-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Hospital chief was 'concerned about wrongful conviction' after Lucy Letby's arrest, inquiry told
The chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital was worried about a "wrongful conviction" after Lucy Letby was arrested, a public inquiry has heard. Tony Chambers was said to have had concerns about Letby's initial detention by Cheshire Constabulary in July 2018 over several unexplained and unexpected collapses of babies in the hospital's neonatal unit, according to Dr Susan Gilby. Dr Gilby joined the Countess of Chester as the new deputy chief executive and medical director weeks after Letby's arrest, and said she had a "quite bizarre" discussion with Mr Chambers at that time. Giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry into the events surrounding Letby's crimes, Dr Gilby said she expected the hospital's executive team would be "absolutely reeling" that a staff member had been arrested on suspicion of committing multiple murders and attempted murders "under their watch". She said: "What I found, and what Tony wanted to discuss with me, was his concern that actually he still believed, despite the arrest, that no deliberate harm had been caused. "He kept repeating that there was no single cause found, and I said to him 'well it's not for you to find the cause, you have unexpected and unexplained collapses and deaths of patients and even one of those is a cause of concern'. "And he just was very focused on the worry that the paediatricians may have caused this nurse harm, and his worry was a wrongful conviction. "But he was still confident, even though she had been arrested, there would be no progress and there wouldn't ultimately be a charge." Letby was moved out of the neonatal unit to non-clinical duties in June 2016, shortly after consultant paediatricians told bosses they feared she may be deliberately harming babies. 3:06 Hospital executives, including Mr Chambers and then medical director Ian Harvey, opted to commission several independent probes into the increased mortality. Police were not called in to investigate until May 2017. Dr Gilby said she sensed that both men believed the paediatricians were wrong about their concerns, and that no evidence of deliberate harm had been found in their reviews. "On a number of occasions it was said to me, [the paediatricians] were just looking for somebody to blame," she said. "They just felt the paediatricians were unable to accept they weren't the best and so when outcomes were poor they were looking for somebody to blame. "I was being given the impression that I had some 'problem doctors' that needed dealing with." Dr Gilby later replaced Mr Chambers, who stepped down in September 2018. Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. Earlier this month an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists told reporters that bad medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths. Their evidence has been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, and Letby's legal team hope her case will be referred back to the Court of Appeal. The public inquiry will reconvene at Liverpool Town Hall on 17 March for closing submissions, and the findings of Lady Justice Thirlwall are expected this autumn.
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Countess of Chester: Chairman plotted to oust hospital boss
A hospital chairman conspired with other senior figures to oust the chief executive after she accused him of bullying and harassment, a tribunal judge has ruled. Dr Susan Gilby was found to have been unfairly dismissed by the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she was in charge from 2018 to 2022. Judge Dawn Shotter found chairman Ian Haythornthwaite and three other senior hospital figures worked together on "Project Countess", whose aim was to remove Dr Gilby from her post. A hearing to determine the compensation award will be held in May, with salary, pension contributions and legal costs expected to cost the trust millions of pounds. The tribunal described the chairman of the trust, Ian Haythornthwaite, as an "inaccurate historian" who "did not give credible evidence". He was found, along with three others, to have made what was described as "an attempt to mask the behind the scenes machinations" that were being made to remove Susan Gilby "to build the appearance of performance and misconduct allegations".The chairman, non-executive director Ken Gill and the human resources director Nicola Price exchanged private email address and WhatsApp and phone numbers to discuss Project Countess. The failure of Mr Haythornthwaite to disclose emails and other correspondence between them "points to a deliberate intention to hide documents" which would have shown his "true part" in Dr Gilby's departure, the tribunal found. It was also "more likely than not" that he was involved in the deletion of other relevant documents. 'Glowing appraisals' Susan Gilby, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care, was appointed chief executive of the trust in September 2018, two months after Lucy Letby had been arrested. She had received glowing appraisals and been praised for her role leading the trust through the Covid-19 pandemic. But Dr Gilby told the tribunal that, in the months after Mr Haythornthwaite was appointed as chairman in 2021, she became concerned with his behaviour. She told the hearing that at a July 2022 meeting with him, Mr Haythornthwaite had "launched into a fierce verbal attack" on her, "banging his hand on the table at various junctures to emphasise the points he wanted to make". She added: "He focused repeatedly on what he said was 'wrong' with me. His behaviour was threatening and upsetting. It was bullying, pure and simple."The breakdown in relations between Mr Haythornthwaite – a former BBC accountant – and Dr Gilby led to the creation of the Project Countess group, which also included Ros Fallon, another non- executive director. 'Sham case' Dr Gilby was offered a payoff if she dropped her allegations of bullying and harassment against the refused to do so, describing it as "an absolute red line for me," adding: "If this means there can be no settlement agreement then so be it."In December 2022 the trust suspended Dr Gilby, citing what the tribunal found were 14 "unspecified allegations... that could not amount to any act of gross misconduct". The trust has never laid out the detailed reasons for her suspension, instead it "built up a sham case" against her, ruled employment judge Shotton. 'Significant financial losses' Dr Gilby resigned days after her suspension and launched legal action against the trust. In a statement to the BBC she said that the last few years "had been nothing short of torture at times". "My career has been taken from me with no justification and the financial losses we have suffered are significant," she said. She said she was "not prepared to compromise my integrity so I put my faith in the judicial system". "I hope that this judgement will give others the courage to do so. The time for these behaviours to be acceptable within the NHS is over," she added.A hearing to determine damages will be held in May. Salary, pension contributions and legal costs are expected to cost the trust millions of Haythornthwaite remains chairman of the Countess of Chester trust. Ken Gill, Ros Fallon and Nicola Price have all left. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
