Family handout
The family of a man who died after he repeatedly banged his head against a wall in a mental health suite said there was no “safety net” for people with their son’s needs.
Declan Morrison, 26, from Cambridge, was autistic, had severe learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In the hours before his death, he was left naked in a room with CCTV cameras, but his family said the alarm was only raised after he was found unresponsive by staff.
His parents, Graeme and Sam Morrison, are now calling for answers about what went wrong with their son’s care.
Mrs Morrison said: “He was left to his own devices in a surrounding that he couldn’t understand, with no stimuli, bright lights, and bare walls.”
In March 2022, Declan spent 10 days in the Section 136 mental health assessment suite, as there were no beds available across the UK.
But he could not cope with the austere, clinical environment which, under the Mental Health Act, should be used for a maximum of 24 hours.
The suite was described by coroner Simon Milburn as “wholly inappropriate” for Declan’s needs.
Steve Hubbard/BBC