Two people lose their lives to suicide every day in Scotland - that is two too many! Many of these deaths are never fully investigated, or, where mental health services have been involved, there can be lengthy internal investigations that often do not result in any improvements being made to these services.
Also, it seems, no individual who was involved in the care of the deceased prior to their death can be held accountable for or asked to give an account of their actions that may have impacted on the mental health of the patient, as the NHS only reviews systems and not actual practice.
I believe there is a need for a separate inquest system for all suicides in Scotland, which should be led by an independent body and should incorporate a system of mandatory actions to be taken where failure of mental health care systems or individuals operating within these systems is established.
Death by suicide is something no individual or their family should have to endure. I urge you to sign and support this petition to ensure that all deaths by suicide are thoroughly investigated so that improvements can be made to mental health care services to prevent other families from going through what my son went through and what my family are going through now. Although an inquest may be distressing for relatives of the deceased, it is extremely distressing to have to wait for up to three years or more for the Procurator Fiscal and the NHS to come to any conclusion about the loss of your loved one.