Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 will be happening from Monday May 11th to Sunday May 17th, and the 2026 theme is ‘Take Action’. The focus is predominantly on improving a person’s mental health, but is very appropriate given the intense scrutiny surrounding the Tyne, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust statutory public inquiry, which was formally announced in December 2025 and is currently awaiting appointment of a chair.

The Mental Health Awareness Week campaign carries out essential work in making mental health a commonly talked about and more widely understood issue, but ‘taking action’ is highly relevant to bring about positive change and to ensure optimum care and support is provided.

Navigating complex care procedures and relevant legislation can be challenging for individuals and families who believe loved ones have been neglected in their mental health care. This is particularly topical as preparations for the TEWV Inquiry gather pace, with the intention of uncovering the root cause of failings and ensuring recommendations are implemented.

What is the TEWV Inquiry and what has it highlighted?

The Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest mental health trusts in the country, but has faced mounting pressure for a number of years after repeated complaints about its quality of care. This includes the deaths of Christie Harnett and Nadia Sharif, both aged 17, who died after taking their own life while in the care of the trust at West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough in 2019, and Emily Moore, aged 18, who also took her own life while in the care of the trust at Lanchester Road Mental Health Hospital in Durham in 2020, after a period as an inpatient in West Lane.

In addition to the deaths of vulnerable patients there have been persistent concerns raised by individuals relating to patient safety, staffing pressures and leadership at the trust. Individuals have seen various investigations and reviews carried out with unsatisfactory findings, having cited a lack of openness and independence and the reviews not considering key evidence.

The formal announcement of the inquiry by Health Secretary Wes Streeting marked a significant breakthrough for the families as an inquiry will have the legal powers to summon witnesses, release key documentation and requires evidence to be given under oath. It should finally allow the grieving families to hear the truth behind the care failings and to seek answers in terms of who is responsible. This is despite a NICHE report already having identified multiple care delivery and service delivery problems relating to the three deaths.

What is the role of a public inquiry?

A public inquiry is a comprehensive, independent investigation initiated by the government. A public inquiry is usually called for on the back of major events such as a systematic failure, a disaster or any event where there is significant public concern. The main role of a public inquiry is to present a formal framework that will establish facts and determine accountability, but will also seek to learn lessons and put systems and procedures in place to prevent a reoccurrence, in other words, to restore public trust.

A public inquiry will result in a public report, which usually includes recommendations for legislative change. Recent examples of public inquiries include the COVID-19 inquiry which has been ongoing since 2021 and the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry, also ongoing since 2021, while there is an ongoing inquiry to investigate deaths in mental health services in Essex, called the Lampard Inquiry (previously the non-statutory Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry).

When does poor mental health care become negligence?

The TEWV Inquiry will investigate systemic failings in the mental health care provided by the trust and will provide accountability for patients and bereaved families. Those impacted feel strongly that  the trust essentially failed in its duty of care and provided treatment which fell below an acceptable standard, and which resulted in the avoidable incidents of harm. Negligent care in legal terms is a standard of care that is below that of which a responsible body of professionals would normally provide, and this directly led to harm to a patient.

Negligent mental health care can include examples of poor performance such as a failure to assess risks, misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis of a condition, ignoring warning signs, inappropriate treatment, errors with medication, failing to monitor or supervise the patient and discharging a vulnerable patient too soon, or without proper follow-up care.

How individuals can get answers after mental health care failings

If an individual feels that the standard of care offered has fallen below an acceptable standard, or there has been a clear breach of duty, they can take formal steps towards seeking answers and establishing accountability. The TEWV Inquiry arises from longstanding concerns about patient safety, governance failures and preventable deaths, with an independent investigation having already identified systemic failings within the trust.

In more isolated cases of mental health care failings, individuals can:

  • Raise a formal complaint in writing – This could trigger an internal hospital investigation into the complaint and the levels of care surrounding it.
  • Request medical records – Notes, reports and treatment plans could help them understand what went wrong, and which could uncover negligence.
  • Seek legal advice – Specialist solicitors can help individuals establish whether there are grounds for a formal negligence case, and also what options there are for pursuing this. They can also help in securing evidence that will prove negligence.

How Ison Harrison can support families and individuals with mental health care concerns

At Ison Harrison we have vast experience of representing families in inquest hearings and in securing successful conclusions for families seeking answers to what they see as negligent mental health care. Our personal injury and inquests solicitor Alistair Smith is representing the families of the three women who died in the care of the TEWV Trust, and we have other specialist solicitors who can support your family, offer advice and representation, and campaign where necessary to ensure there is suitable accountability where negligent mental health care is evidenced. We also have specialist medical negligence and human right act lawyers who can support clients with past or current concerns.

During Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 we will again be promoting the need for families and individuals to ‘Take Action’ and supporting them in raising awareness of mental health, but also in taking steps towards seeking answers and securing accountability where failings have been identified. So if this is an issue that has impacted on you and your family contact our team today.