MP concerned that chair not yet appointed for TEWV mental health trust inquiry

The previous health secretary Wes Streeting announced the statutory inquiry into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Trust last year, after hearing of “harrowing experiences” from families.

This included the relatives of Nadia Sharif and Christie Harnett, both aged 17, who died by suicide while being treated at West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon quizzed the new Health Secretary James Murray, raising concerns that the inquiry risked “falling by the wayside” amid the wider NHS reorganisation.

He told the Commons: “Last year, families and MPs got the inquiry into the TEWV health trust — the mental health trust in the north of England - that had been failing.

“My worry is that a chair of that inquiry was meant already to be in place.

“Will that inquiry now be lost amid all the changes to the healthcare system?

“Will the Secretary of State commit to meeting the families of those affected by the TEWV scandal, and will he get a chair in place as soon as possible?”

Mr Murray pledged to look into the case, and said: “The abolition of NHS England and the transfer of its responsibilities… is being managed carefully, to ensure that we can continue making progress while the structural change happens.”

The Yorkshire Post contacted the Department for Health and Social Care for additional information about when a chair would be appointed.

Mr Gordon said: “These families have been through unimaginable difficulty, some of them have lost a loved one due to inadequate care.

“The idea of promising an inquiry and then having it fizzle out because of wider changes is unacceptable.

“I’ll continue to bang the drum for this with my colleagues in the region. We need a chair appointed ASAP or risk it falling by the wayside”.