A mental health trust, the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), has admitted that failures in the care provided to 16-year-old Elise Sebastian led to her death. Elise, who was an inpatient at the St Aubyn Centre unit in Colchester, was found unresponsive in her room in April 2021. She had been placed under one-to-one care due to previous self-harm attempts.

The inquest at Essex Coroner's Court revealed that on April 17, 2021, Elise's mother, Victoria Sebastian, visited her. After the visit, Elise was allowed to return to her bedroom from a communal area without staff supervision, despite being supposed to be observed in isolated areas. She was later found unresponsive and died in the hospital two days later. Her mother described the pain of her death as "too much to bear," adding that Elise was "badly let down by the system." EPUT acknowledged that its failure to supervise Elise was a direct cause of her death.

During the incident, Michael Lewis, a senior paramedic, experienced difficulty accessing Elise due to locked doors and a lack of clear responsibility among the staff. He expressed his frustration, noting the contradiction between the one-to-one observation order and the circumstances of her death.

Elise, described as a Harry Potter fan, music lover, and animal enthusiast enrolled in an animal care course, had a close relationship with her family. She was diagnosed with autism, epilepsy, and had physical health problems, including a curvature of the spine. She had struggled with anxiety since the age of 12 and had been admitted to mental health units previously following bullying incidents.

The family's lawyer, Pravin Fernando, stated that EPUT failed in its responsibility by allowing Elise to enter her bedroom unsupervised. The family also reported that EPUT staff did not inform them of Elise's location after she was taken to the hospital.

The inquest into Elise's death is expected to last four weeks and is being monitored by the Lampard Inquiry, which is investigating over 2,000 patient deaths. Both of Elise's parents have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since her death. The coroner, Sonia Hayes, described Elise as "a young person with her own hopes and dreams."