Ceara Thacker death: Student 'told university of suicidal thoughts'
A student found hanged at university had waited more than two months for help with suicidal thoughts, an inquest has heard.
Ceara Thacker, 19, was found dead in her halls of residence at the University of Liverpool in May 2018. It took more than a month for the university to process a self-referral and a further month for her to see a counsellor, a court was told. The philosophy student, from Bradford, died a month later. Ms Thacker had suffered mental health problems since she was 13 and had a history of depression and self-harm, Gerard Majella Courthouse was told. The day after taking an overdose and being treated in hospital, she filled out a self-referral form for the university's mental health support team revealing she was struggling to cope, the inquest heard. But the university's senior mental health adviser Lindsay Pendleton admitted it was more than a month before the form was processed. It was a further month before she had a face-to-face conversation with the first year student, the court was told. Ms Pendleton admitted she did not consider Ms Thacker to be at immediate risk despite confessing she had taken an overdose. She also said she had intended to contact the student's GP but failed to do so and did not discuss telling Ms Thacker's family. Ms Pendleton said she had planned to "explore" family relationships at a future session. Ms Thacker's father, Iain, of Guiseley, West Yorkshire, has criticised the university for not telling the family about the previous suicide attempt. The inquest continues.