No report for Ipswich woman a year after daughter's death

Rebecca McLellan, 24, was found dead at her flat on November 20 last year. She was receiving care at the time from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). 

In August, an inquest into the paramedic's death was opened at Suffolk Coroners’ Court - but the coroner has asked NSFT to submit the report before the inquest goes onto its next stage. 

However, Miss McLellan's mother Natalie McLellan still has not received it, even after being told by the trust that it was almost ready. 

Natalie McLellan, the mother of Rebecca McLellan (Image: Shikhar Talwar)

NSFT has apologised for the distress caused to the family and said it is working on completing the investigation.

Mrs McLellan said: "They (NSFT) still haven't supplied a full investigation into her death and they have messed me about with that. 

"I raised it to the CEO in May that I hadn't received their investigation and she said she would going to looking into it personally. 

"I drove up to Ipswich in July to receive that report and on that day I was told that it still hasn't been signed off. 

"What they didn't tell me was that actually it hadn't been investigated under the right part of the framework, so they hadn't even investigated it as a serious incident, just a normal one."

Mrs McLellan added that she had met the investigator in mid-July and then again in mid-August, but in late October the investigator moved this case to another investigator. 

Caroline Donovan, chief executive of NSFT (Image: Daniel Lightening Photography/NSFT) Caroline Donovan, the chief executive of NSFT, said: “My thoughts remain with Rebecca’s family following her sad death.

“I apologise for the distress the delay in completing the patient safety investigation into her daughter’s death will be causing her and her family.

“A serious incident review was completed, which indicated the need for a detailed patient safety investigation."

Ms Donovan added that the investigation has commenced and the trust will look at opportunities to improve its systems. 

Mrs McLellan is a part of the Norfolk and Suffolk Mental Health campaign group. (Image: Shikhar Talwar) “Our team is now in regular contact with Mrs McLellan whilst the investigation progresses," she added.

"I would also like to publicly acknowledge her active involvement in our Learning from Deaths programme, alongside other bereaved families, which is supporting us to deliver safer, kinder and better services for the future.”