'We want to make sure no one goes through this unimaginable heartbreak'

MP PLEDGE TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH BILL AFTER CAMPAIGNING

- By RICHARD WHEELER PA Parliamentary Editor

WES Streeting has pledged to try and find a “workable way” to save lives by giving families a say over whether a loved one receives a mental capacity assessment, following years of campaigning by a bereaved Surrey mum.

The Health Secretary made the offer as he responded to calls from MPs to change the law in response to concerns raised by bereaved parents, including Fiona Laskaris.

The House of Commons heard that Mrs Laskaris, from Peaslake, pleaded for help for several years but was never able to obtain the mental capacity assessment required to ensure her son, Christopher, received the support he needed.

Mr Laskaris, 24, was murdered in his flat in Leeds in November 2016 by a drug addict who had only just been released on licence from a jail sentence.

MPs want the Mental Health Bill to be amended to ensure the views of family members are considered when determining what the requirements are for an adult for a mental capacity assessment. Mrs Laskaris and her daughter Cara attended the House of Commons on Monday evening to listen to MPs debate the Bill.