Nicolette McCarthy was found dead at Beachy Head on September 19, 2023, after she was allowed to take a 15-minute smoking break alone at the Woodlands Centre in St Leonards, where she had been a patient for 20 days.
The midwifery matron from Uckfield had a history of mental health issues and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
An inquest jury found that a series of safeguarding failures by the NHS contributed to the 46-year-old’s death – prompting coroner Michael Spencer to call on health bosses in a prevention of future deaths report to review its smoke-free policy.
Nicolette McCarthy (Image: The McCarthy family) Nicolette leaves behind her husband Scott and grown-up children Elspeth Gamble and Duncan Gamble, aged 28 and 25 respectively, as well as three younger children aged between six and 14.
Mr McCarthy said his wife was devoted, loving, caring and empathetic.
“Not only were we blessed to have her in our lives but through her work she touched the lives of so many people, helping new families start out in life,” he said.
“There’s not a day goes by that we don’t think of her and miss her.
“The world is a darker place for not having Nicolette in our lives and it’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the feeling of loss we’ve been left to face. If it wasn’t for the pain we live with every day it almost wouldn’t seem real that Nicolette is no longer with us.”
The 49-year-old software development consultant said systems and procedures which should have been in place to protect his wife were not.
Mr McCarthy believes his wife could have still been alive today had staff taken the action more quickly when she went missing.
“We’ll always be upset at the events surrounding Nicolette’s death,” he said.
“We feel that the inquest and the coroner’s report is indicative of the lapses in judgment that Nicolette experienced in her care and that have left our family broken.
Nicolette with her grown-up children Elspeth Gamble and Duncan Gamble (Image: The McCarthy family)“People with mental health problems are some of society’s most vulnerable people and deserve the best care possible to ensure they return to their family.
“Sadly, this didn’t happen to Nicolette and it feels like an accidental consequence of the smoke free policy will put more lives at risk. Mental health patients have complex needs and their needs to be an understanding of their specific issues and care tailored to them, not a one size fits all approach.
“However, it’s not just issues around the smoke free policy that the inquest raised concerns about and we continue to have concerns about.
“The systems and procedures which should have been in place to protect her weren’t. Such policies exist for a reason. If they had been upheld and staff taken the action they needed to when Nicolette went missing, it’s likely she would still be with us today.”
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