Mr. Stevens was in the care of NSFT at the time of his death.
Information about a patient’s mental health is confidential and professionals cannot provide details to the patient’s emergency contacts without consent.
Stevens wants to change that, and believes health care workers should consider breaking confidentiality to get information to families in extreme situations.
He said: “The question to ask yourself is not whether there is a good reason to contact the parent, but whether there is a good reason not to contact the parent.”
Kelly Moles is NSFT’s People Engagement Coordinator and her father’s caregiver.
Through her work, Moles encourages caregivers to learn what rights they have.
“There will be instances where service users don’t want carers involved,” she says.
“I think the message I want to get across is that as a trust we can listen to the voices of people within our support network and take that information and use it to our advantage.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please visit the following site: bbc action line.
