Daughter 'Lost to System' After Autism Dismissed

A mother has shared her harrowing experience at the Lampard Inquiry, detailing how her daughter, Abbigail Smith, was "lost to the system" over 24 years of mental health treatment.

Lisa Wolff testified that her daughter's autism was repeatedly dismissed by healthcare professionals, despite formal diagnoses, leading to her being treated "through a very narrow lens." Abbigail was moved more than 10 times between various mental health units between the ages of 17 and 26.

Abbigail died by suicide in February 2022, just 36 hours after her discharge from the Linden Centre. An inquest into her death found that the failure to recognize her autism had a "profound impact" on her care, amounting to neglect. Videos filmed by Abbigail shortly before her death, expressing suicidal ideation and criticism of staff, were played at the inquiry.

The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has issued an apology for the significant failings in Abbigail's care. EPUT's acting chairman of the board of directors affirmed the trust's commitment to cooperating with the inquiry's aims.