Mental health trust admits string of failings prior to tragic death of much-loved son and brother

Jamie was a talented joiner who loved spending time with his family

06:45, 22 May 2026Updated 19:24, 22 May 2026

Jamie with friend Henrietta Day

Jamie with friend Henrietta Day (Image: Facebook)

Medics at a mental health unit made a string of errors weeks before a much-loved son and brother took his own life, an inquest has heard.

Jamie Briggs had suffered from severe Crohn’s Disease for several years and had become “disillusioned and feeling hopeless” prior to his tragic death on November 21 last year. He suffered from regular infections and had undergone around 14 operations to treat the symptoms of the incurable disease.

The 40-year-old, from Billington near Clitheroe, had been struggling to sleep in the weeks before he died and had started to “self-medicate” with cannabis. On October 17 last year, police found Jamie acting bizarrely on the roundabout of a busy 40mph road.

He told officers that “people were after him” and that he hadn’t had a drink for three days because he believed that someone had “messed with his water” and that murderers were trying to kill him.

Jamie, a talented joiner, was detained under the Mental Health Act and was initially taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital before being transferred to The Harbour in Blackpool. The Harbour, run by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, is a mental health unit where individuals can be assessed under the Mental Health Act to determine if they should be detained for their own safety.

When Jamie first arrived at The Harbour he complained about ongoing pain in his legs and blood tests showed his white blood cell count was raised; an indication of an infection. A urine sample also confirmed the presence of cannabis.

The Harbour, Blackpool

The Harbour in Blackpool(Image: Lancs Live)

However, when Jamie was formally assessed by three practitioners under the Mental Health Act, he had settled down and doctors concluded he was fit to be discharged. Staff at The Harbour failed to send a letter to his GP, as is policy, and also failed to arrange any follow-up for the blood test results or refer him to community mental health services as is standard practice.

On November 19 last year Jamie went with his sister and mum to see his GP, Dr Rebecca Thornber, at the Sabden & Whalley Medical Group. However, Dr Thornber had not received any letter from The Harbour, and did not believe he was at risk of harming himself although she advised his family to take control of his medication as he had taken a double dose that day in a bid to get some sleep.

Later that day, at his home, Jamie’s sister said he appeared “subdued and expressed feelings of hopelessness”. She returned to her own home to make some food for Jamie and when she got back to his house she found their mum struggling to get into his room.

When they got inside, Jamie was unresponsive, and was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital by ambulance. He sadly died two days later having suffered a severe hypoxic brain injury.

An inquest into Jamie’s death started yesterday (May 21) at Preston Coroners’ Court. In statements his family described him as “larger than life” and enjoyed travelling abroad with his dad to watch Celtic.

Arnab Bhowmick, a Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explained to the court that Crohn’s Disease is a “relentless cycle of inflammation” which is understood to be linked to the immune system.

Mr Bhowmick said that, when he saw Jamie in June 2025, he was “very fed up, disillusioned with the treatment”. “We can dampen it down and knock it back but there is no cure,” he said.

“It’s relentless. There is a feeling of hopelessness in patients because they know it’s not going to go away. Jamie was fed up and he was angry.”

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