Melissa Parrish was just 27 years old when she died by self-inflicted means on 13 July 2021, after being admitted to the eating disorder service in Vincent Square (operated by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust). Melissa had been a patient of this service since 2018.

Described by her bereaved family as a spirited young woman who was curious about the world around her, Melissa had sadly struggled with an eating disorder ever since she was a teenager. For her own safety, Melissa had spent time in psychiatric hospitals at a very young age because her weight was often so low that it threatened her life. Unfortunately, Melissa found  the Huntercombe Hospital (Maidenhead) – where Melissa was first admitted at 15 – so traumatising that she was scarred for the rest of her life. Melissa would always remain afraid of being ‘locked up’, and it was at the Huntercombe Hospital where she took her first overdose in an attempt to end her young life.

Despite these difficult experiences, Melissa was determined to live an ordinary life. She completed her secondary education and had started her first year of university – studying psychology – when her eating disorder resurfaced. Melissa did her best to overcome it, but it became impossible to cope after the death of her close friend. Melissa moved back home to recuperate, but – try as she might – she couldn’t get her weight back on track. It got to a point where her potassium levels were so low, that she could have suffered a heart attack at any moment.

There was no option but for Melissa to be readmitted to psychiatric hospital, to restore her weight to a safe level. Her psychiatrist recommended a short, 28-day admission under section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 at the Vincent Square Eating Disorder service.

Tragically, Melissa was found unconscious less than four hours after her admission. She was taken to Chelsea and Westminster hospital nearby, but she never recovered from her injuries. Melissa was just 24 years old at the time.

Melissa sadly remained in a persistent vegetative state for 3 years, until she passed on 13 July 2021.

The inquest will now consider the care and treatment Melissa received in the lead-up to the incident that resulted in her death.

Melissa’s family are haunted by questions about what happened at Vincent Square that day. What if someone had removed the item that Melissa used to end her life? Could the nurses have kept a closer eye on her in those crucial, first 72-hours? What if the ligature point hadn’t broken? Had staff who admitted Melissa to the ward read her previous risk assessments when they made safeguarding decisions? Would Melissa still be with them today if things had been different? After all, Melissa was taken to hospital to save her life. How could they have lost their daughter, instead?

The Coroner sitting in Inner West London Coroner’s Court has ruled that Melissa’s death engages the State’s investigative obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to life). He will sit with a jury at Melissa’s final inquest, which will be heard between 16 and 20 September 2024.

For further information, interview requests and to note your interest, please contact Basmah Sahib – basmah.sahib@bindmans.com

Melissa’s family are represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group member, Basmah Sahib of Bindmans.

INQUEST is the only charity providing expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media and parliamentarians. Our specialist casework includes death in police and prison custody, immigration detention, mental health settings and deaths involving multi-agency failings or where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question, such as the deaths and wider issues around Hillsborough and Grenfell Tower. Our policy, parliamentary, campaigning and media work is grounded in the day-to-day experience of working with bereaved people.