Rebecca McLellan, 24, born and raised in Clacton, Essex, suffered from bipolar disorder and was under the care of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which according to her mother, failed to provide her with help when she needed it, which eventually led to her death.
According to the BBC, McLellan was originally cared for by a psychiatrist in Essex, but was discharged when they found out she was moving to Ipswich for work.
“Her GP then also threw her out because she was moving,” her mother said. “There was a real lack of support from the start of her diagnosis, despite Rebecca desperately trying to access it.
“She was hugely let down.”
McLellan, who worked for the East of England Ambulance Service throughout the pandemic, was left without access to a doctor or psychiatrist. She eventually found a new GP in Ipswich, who referred her for specialist care.
She was assigned a care coordinator, but he went on leave. McLellan tried to find out who would replace him and sent numerous emails, but they were all left unanswered.
According to her mother, at times, the lack of support was so severe that, that her daughter felt she had to adjust her own medication when she was struggling because she could not get professional guidance. She also began ordering and paying for her own drugs online.
In August, during a mental health crisis, she went to a mental health unit in Ipswich and refused to leave until she received help.
“She told them she would drive anywhere in Norfolk and Suffolk to see someone, but they told her to leave – they threatened to call the police,” her mother said.
“The lack of support defined her way of thinking about the future. Rebecca was worried she wasn’t going to be well enough to work. She lived for her job.”
McLellan’s mother, Natalie, explained that an urgent referral was made to assess her daughter’s medication, but the trust cancelled it. When McLellan eventually saw a psychiatrist three weeks later, she was informed she would have to start taking lithium—a change she found “terrifying,” her mother said.
She was scared that particular drug would change her personality and that she wouldn’t be able to work, and to her, her job was extremely important.
Just three weeks later, McLallen took her own life.
During the inquest, evidence revealed that McLellan had struggled with her mental health. Through her work at the East of England Ambulance Service, she had received 18 sessions with psychotherapist Darren Monsigneur, who described her as “high risk” for suicide. Monsigneur offered to continue therapy on a pro bono basis, but she did not take up the offer. She also attended four sessions with psychiatrist Dr Kavitha Devarajan, concluding their last meeting in September 2023.
In a handwritten statement, McLellan expressed her frustration with the mental health system, specifically criticising the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) for repeatedly failing to respond to her attempts to get help.
A video shown at the inquest recorded McLellan at NSFT’s Ipswich clinic, requesting to speak with a mental health practitioner. The receptionist told her no one was available and threatened to call security if she did not leave.
In a letter written by McLellan, she expressed the hopelessness she felt, saying, “People can survive pretty much everything as long as they can see an end in sight. Unfortunately for me, I cannot. All I can do is wait for the inevitable fall again.”
She went on, “I miss the person I used to be. Unfortunately, that girl is long gone. I’ve been running this race for a little too long, and now my legs are tired.”
She ended her letter by writing, “I know there are those out there who love me, and to those people I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all tremendously. Please know that I tried. I really did.”
Anthony Deery, chief nurse at the NHS trust, said: “We are very sorry for the profound distress that Rebecca’s tragic loss has caused.
“We have carried out an extensive investigation into the care which Rebecca received, and would like to thank her family and friends for the vital contributions they made during this process.
“Learning from Rebecca’s death has seen us introduce a new protocol to help us respond better when a young person comes to a mental health unit in distress without a planned appointment.
“We will now review the coroner’s findings in detail and take any further action which is necessary to ensure we are delivering safer, kinder and better care.”
McLellan’s mother described her to the press as a “loving person,” “sensitive,” “kind,” and “fiercely loyal.” Known for standing up for other people.
Outside court after the inquest, she said: “[My daughter] wanted help, she fought for help, she wanted to be in control of her life.
“She wasn’t allowed that, she wasn’t given that consistent care she should have been given.”
