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Staff member at Antelope House called Hannah Groves 'a waste of space' before

she took her own life

11:40am Monday 29th July 2013 in News

By Rory McKeown, Senior reporter

Mental health worker described tragic Hannah who took her own life 'a waste of space'
A MENTAL health worker described a woman as a waste of space in a foul mouthed outburst just
hours before the woman took her own life, an inquest heard.
Hannah Groves wanted treatment at a specialist mental health unit in Southampton after saying
she wanted to kill herself but she was told there was no space.
She had been arrested by police under the Mental Health Act but was sent home after staff from
Antelope House decided not to assess her.
The inquest was told how a mental health team worker had told the police detention officer that he
knew Hannah and described her as a f***ing waste of space and a time waster.
Tragically Hannah, 20, was found dead at her mums home in Southampton hours later.
Her family believes the promising student would still be alive if her mental illness had been taken
seriously.
The inquest in Southampton heard how Hannah suddenly suffered a severe bout of depression in
the fortnight before she was found hanged.
Before this the foreign language student had never displayed any sign of mental illness. But in the
week before her death she tried to take her life on several occasions, the inquest heard.

Detective Sergeant Matt Taylor told Southampton Coroners Court that an examination of Hannahs
computer found she had searched the Internet with phrases such as no emotions, disassociated
identity disorder, depersonalisation and no feeling.
He said other searches included why the brain stops functioning, causes of mental disorder and
dropping out of university.
Hannah had moved back to her mums home in Shirley after switching from the University of Kent
to the University of Southampton to be near her boyfriend but the inquest heard she had been
struggling with her studies.
During the week before her death on October 22 last year, following repeated bids to take her own
life, she was assessed as being fine to return home.
The inquest heard that Hannah had gone to Southampton General Hospitals accident and
emergency (A&E) department on October 19 after two suicide attempts in three days.
Trainee GP Dr Hannah Yates described her patient as being clear in expressing that she could not
see any way out other than suicide and that she was explaining herself rationally.
Dr Yates then had a telephone conversation with mental health nurse Hannah Miscroft- Bloomfield
in which she highlighted a number of red flag issues about what had happened during the day.
She said that the initial advice she was given was that Hannah should be discharged without an
assessment having undergone a number of them in recent days already.
Dr Yates said she felt uncomfortable with the decision and asked for it to be expressed in writing
and faxed to her department.
But following a second conversation it was agreed that an assessment would be made that night,
she told the inquest.
Giving evidence, Ms Miscroft- Bloomfield said she and colleague had gone to A&E and they felt
there was not a significant problem with Hannah and that it was reasonable for her to go home.
She said the conversation with Dr Yates was merely talking through possibilities.
She admitted to swearing after a heated telephone conversation with Hannahs mother, Mandy
Park, over where her daughter should stay that night and conceded that Hannah had heard what
she said while lying in her hospital bed.
However, she denied hearing Hannah referred to as a waste of time and an attention seeker
and said she was extremely surprised and shocked to hear the allegation.
Earlier GP Dr Susan Robinson, who saw Hannah at Regents Park Surgery after she had tried to
commit suicide, told the inquest she had wanted help.
She said: In my opinion she was not somebody who needed to be sectioned. She was accepting
help. In my view she was seeking attention, but not attention seeking.

Hannah was eventually arrested in the early hours of October 22 after making threats to kill herself
and her mother, the inquest was told.
PC David Maidment visited Hannahs home in Elms Drive and said Hannah explained she wanted
to go to Antelope House for treatment. But officers were informed there was no room at Antelope
House.
PC Maidment said he explained Hannah could be arrested under the Mental Health Act after she
refused to go to the A&E department to be checked over.
She was taken into custody at Southampton Central police station where Christopher Taylor, an
approved medical practitioner, was stationed for the day. It was here it was claimed a detention
officer Ross Blackwood allegedly heard a member of the mental health team describe Hannah as a
f***ing waste of space, the inquest heard.
At the inquest, solicitor Nick Fairweather asked Mr Taylor: Someone in the team had described
her as an effing waste of space. Did you hear anyone use phrases akin to that? Are you surprised
to hear that?
Mr Taylor said: I am disgusted.
The inquest heard Mr Taylor did not fill out a progress note on Hannahs assessment in custody
until the day after she died and failed to enter she had taken her own life.
Mr Fairweather said: By the time you completed this form you knew that Hannah was dead. Why
is that not mentioned in the form?
Mr Taylor replied: Because I am basing the time on when I did the assessment. Its an error on my
part not to record it.
Giving evidence, Dr Thomas Schlich, lead consultant psychiatrist based at Antelope House,
expressed his abhorrence at claims a mental health worker used derogatory language to describe
Hannah.
He said: I was not aware of this. There is no place for someone working in mental health who
makes comments in those kinds of settings.
Coroner Keith Wiseman adjourned the inquest until August 15 when he will deliver his verdict.
Additional reporting by Patrick Knox

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