![\"South](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0_South-Shields-Town-Hall-LDRS.jpg\")
<\/p>\nScott Taylor died waiting for specialist NHS mental health care that could have taken upwards of 15 months and was only available in London.<\/p>\n
South Shields Town Hall – where South Tyneside and Gateshead’s inquests are held(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n
A Gateshead <\/a>man died by suicide after expressing “hopelessness” at the chances of being able to access specialist NHS care for severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This is in part due to the fact that there are no “tertiary” centres for such care outside of London and the South East.<\/p>\n Scott Taylor, 49, had treatment resistant OCD at the time of his death in May 2023. While he had been referred for specialist care – at the time of his death there was a waiting list of more than 12 months and the only place he could have been seen was in London. After an inquest which concluded in July, assistant coroner for Gateshead<\/a> and South Tyneside<\/a> James Thompson found his death to be suicide.<\/p>\n However, under the coroner’s powers to raise actions he believes could be taken to prevent similar deaths in future, he wrote to the Department of Health and Social Care raising concerns about the lack of any “tertiary centre” for OCD treatment outside of London and the South East – where all five centres are located.<\/p>\n Mr Thompson wrote: “Mr Taylor at the time of his death was suffering with a profound and long standing mental illness. It was diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He was receiving treatment in the community, but he had also been treated as an in patient. His condition was resistant to treatment at the time of his death.<\/p>\n “Referrals had been made to a tertiary service to provide specialist treatment for his condition. Access to this service is dependant on the patient completing a certain amount of treatment in primary and secondary settings before a referral can be accepted.<\/p>\n “It was heard in evidence that at the time of Mr Taylor\u2019s death, had he been successful in accessing this centre, there was a waiting list of over 12-15 months before treatment could begin.”<\/p>\n Mr Thompson added that during the inquest, he had heard evidence about how concerned Mr Taylor was by the issue. He said: “The only centre to provide this care at the time was in London. Mr Taylor lived in the North East of England. Mr Taylor, two days prior to his death had expressed his feelings of hopelessness due to the inability of accessing specialist treatment at such a centre and the timescales involved.”<\/p>\n The coroner added that, as of July this year: “It appears that only a small number of tertiary centres able to care for patients with treatment resistant OCD exist in the United Kingdom. They appear to be located in London and the South East.<\/p>\n “The criteria to access these services and the limited capacity they have, it seems prevents clinicians treating patients being able to call upon specialist services that a tertiary centre\/s can provide to they patients. Particularly, where a patient\u2019s case is complex and resistant to all that primary and secondary care services can offer in terms of treatment.<\/p>\n “These centres are also not located across the whole of the United Kingdom for ease of access for those patients not residing in the immediate locality of the current centres.”<\/p>\n The Department for Health and Social Care passed on the letter to NHS England – and that organisation’s national medical director responded. They said: “I would like to express my deep condolences to Mr Taylor\u2019s family and loved ones. NHS England is keen to assure the family and yourself that the concerns raised about Mr Taylor\u2019s care have been listened to and reflected upon.”<\/p>\n However, the medical director confirmed that it was correct to say that all five specialist centres were in London or the South East – with four in London itself. They added: “This distribution is not a deliberate policy choice but reflects the availability of providers with the necessary expertise to deliver this highly specialised care.<\/p>\n “While this concentration allows for the delivery of high quality, evidence-based treatment from recognised centres of excellence, it may pose challenges in terms of access for patients located in other regions of England. This geographic concentration underscores the importance of ongoing collaboration with local mental health services to manage care coordination and ensure equitable access.”<\/p>\n However, they said that “due to the highly specialised nature” of this service, it was “not feasible” to have treatment centres in every region – or for the care to be delivered in other settings.<\/p>\n The director compared this to other areas of specialist care – such as “specialist cancer treatment centres, neurosurgery and ophthalmology” – “where the concentration of resources is necessary”.<\/p>\n Our ChronicleLive Daily newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here<\/a>. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East.<\/strong><\/p>\n ChronicleLive has created a dedicated WhatsApp community for breaking news and our biggest stories. You can join this WhatsApp community here<\/a>. 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