HEALTH bosses have assured people the safety and wellbeing of children and young people is at the ‘core’ of its work following the release of a serious case review of the care of a Barrow teenager who died by hanging.

Maziellie MacKenzie, 14, from Barrow, was found in woodland near Heysham Barrows, Lancashire, on June 23, 2018, by a member of the public.

A serious case review by the Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership identified issues related to Maziellie’s care and offered recommendations for improving practices in future.

The report referred to two previous serious case reviews in Cumbria where children had taken their own lives.

It said the relevant findings from these reviews were about Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in parts of Cumbria ‘not being fit for purpose’ and ‘a view from partner agencies that a referral to CAMHS did not guarantee a safer outcome for a young person at risk of suicide.’

The report said: “At the time CAMHS reported long-standing and deep-seated difficulties and referred to low levels of morale, high staff turnover, sickness absence, inadequate practice in relation to risk recognition and response, poor information sharing, and a lack of leadership and direction.

The report said: “While the situation has improved, the use of agency staff and ongoing recruitment and retention challenges remain an issue and had an impact on (Maziellie).”

A spokesman for Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services, said: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Child CH [Maziellie] at this difficult time.

“We would like to assure the population of Morecambe Bay that the safety and wellbeing of children and young people is at the core of our work here.

“Morecambe Bay CCG will continue to ensure that we contribute to arrangements that safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people across our communities. This includes commissioning safe services alongside a skilled and competent workforce.”