Tragic death of Wigan man, 22, told no mental health beds were available

A mental health nurse did not want to leave Callum McCormick, 22, at home on November 3 after he said he wanted to die.

But Bolton Coroner’s Court heard no mental health beds were available.

Tragically, Callum went to Wigan North Western railway station the next morning and died after being hit by a train.

Coroner Simon Nelson examined Callum’s care and whether anything further could have been done.

He heard Callum was born in the Isle of Man before moving to Wigan with his family and studying drama and dance at Wigan and Leigh College.

His dad Stephen McCormick said he was “the perfect son” and he “couldn’t be more proud of him”.

Callum battled with his mental health and was struggling in February 2022, but wanted to help himself rather than seek medical support, the inquest heard.

His mood lifted when he started a relationship with Lydia Champion while on holiday in Tunisia in June and regularly travelled to Brighton to see her.

But Callum, who lived in Whelley, began struggling again and sought help.

He was seen at Clare House on October 19 and a letter was emailed to his GP at Longshoot Health Centre saying Callum should be prescribed anti-depressants and referred to a community link worker.

But Mr McCormick said his son was “so deflated” and “felt he was being palmed off”.

GP Dr Manu Patel told the inquest the letter was not marked as “urgent” and a receptionist wrongly assumed an appointment had been made.

He also said Callum tried to make an appointment through an app no longer used.

It was only after Callum’s parents saw the practice manager on October 26 that sertraline was prescribed.

Dr Patel said it can take four weeks to work and he did not believe the delay affected the outcome.

On November 2 Lydia ended their relationship and later that day Callum deliberately harmed himself.

He was taken to Wigan Infirmary’s A&E and assessed by mental health nurse practitioner Linda Osayuwa Ayobami, who found Callum was at “high risk”.

She said he needed to be admitted to a mental health bed or the home-based treatment team.

Mrs Ayobami told the coroner there were no beds available, so Callum could either wait in A&E or be treated at home.

But she had to “fight” for him to be accepted by the home-based treatment team, due to a lack of documentation about his mental health and being unable to access records from childhood.

Callum was discharged early on November 3 and went to his dad’s house, where senior nurse practitioner Beverley Moore visited him at 5.30pm.

Callum told her he wanted to end his life “whatever way it takes”.

She was “very concerned” and Callum agreed to be admitted to hospital, but when she called for a bed, there were none available.

"The option they gave me was to try to implement a safety plan. That’s the only option I had available that night,” she said.

Mrs Moore arranged for Callum to be discussed at a meeting the next day and for a colleague to visit him.

The next morning, Callum exchanged text messages with Lydia before leaving the house at 11am, saying he was going to a shop but instead walking to Wigan North Western.

He sent a goodbye message to Lydia and said he was waiting for a train, prompting her to call police and for his family to rush to both Wigan North Western and Wallgate.

But Callum was hit by a train, causing fatal injuries.

The inquest heard he used the same platform when travelling to see Lydia and had planned to go to Brighton that day, before the relationship ended.

It was only at 11.45am that a member of the home-based treatment team arrived at Mr McCormick’s house, having initially gone to Callum’s mum’s house.

Zara Oxley, co-author of a report for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), said the shortage of mental health beds was a “national crisis”.

"We could open a ward tomorrow with 20 beds and it would be full by the end of the week,” she said. “This is a national crisis and it is so upsetting for nurses as well.”

She explained patients were prioritised by need, not when they were added to the list for a bed.

Mr Nelson said he could not get involved with the allocation of resources by the NHS, but suggested Callum’s family write to MPs and councillors to highlight the problem.

He said: “I just can’t find the words to describe how desperate both the individuals who require the care and also the professionals trying to provide the care must be when they are in that situation.

"What do you do to keep someone safe if there isn’t provision locally or further afield?”

Mrs Oxley found “gaps in care” in communication between the liaison team and home-based treatment team, with changes made to the way patients are accepted.

Wigan’s A&E now has a mental health streaming area containing two chairs where people can wait for a bed – though they can be there for hours, days or even a week.

Mr Nelson recorded Callum died by suicide and said he did not believe any failings met the coronial standard of neglect.

He praised Callum’s “incredibly supportive and caring family” and said Mrs Moore did everything she could to help him.

He asked for a form to be created by GMMH so urgent requests sent to GPs are not missed.

Mr Nelson said: “What I would like to achieve in this matter is a situation whereby at least Callum’s parents can see there have been changes brought about by the very tragic circumstances of which we have heard.”

If you need to talk, call Samaritans on 116 123.