THE mum of a vulnerable young woman who died in A&E after a diet pill overdose has criticised the mental health support given to her daughter prior to her death.

Beth Shipsey, 21, of Cover Green, Warndon Villages, Worcester, overdosed on diet drug DNP (2,4 Dinthrophernol) on February 15 last year, and died at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Miss Shipsey was on home leave from a psychiatric ward at Worcester’s Elgar Unit, having been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) in January 2016.

Speaking outside Worcestershire Coroner’s Court last week, following an inquest which found Miss Shipsey had intended to take her own life, her mum Carole said there was “not enough support” for EUPD patients.

“There is a big discrepancy between the care in the hospital, in the mental health services, and the community care,” said Mrs Shipsey, a qualified nurse.

“There’s this ignorance between them, really.”

Mrs Shipsey criticised support given by crisis support teams available to people who are suffering with their mental health.

She said: “In our personal experience, those people weren’t always there when Beth was having an actual crisis, and we never had any personal support, and certainly people themselves who are suffering this terrible illness, this EUPD, which people don’t really understand, there’s not enough support for these people, not at all.

"And Beth, at the time of her death, she never had a support worker.”

A spokesman for Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said: “It is made clear that if there are any concerns about the patient during the ‘leave’ period, the ward can be contacted and they can be readmitted as soon as possible.”

He said Miss Shipsey’s family had previously stated “they did not have significant concerns about the mental health care provided in this case that needed to be aired at the inquest".

"As a result, only limited evidence was presented from the Trust as to our involvement as part of the recent hearing."