The mother of a teenager who suffered brain injuries in a tragic suicide attempt has said she has been left feeling "black-balled" after complaining to an NHS trust about his mental health care.

Stella Owens received an apology from the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust last year following failings in the treatment of her 18-year-old son Jesse Western.

The teenager, who is autistic, suffered catastrophic injuries when he stepped out in front of a lorry days after being detained under the Mental Health Act. He is still recovering.

In August last year, the trust's then-chief executive Stuart Richardson wrote to Mrs Owens apologising for the impact the ordeal has had on her whole family.

The apology centred around a failure to conduct a full psychiatric assessment while Jesse was detained, which may have prevented his attempt to take his life.

The incident happened in June 2020 and left Jesse, who attends City College Norwich, with a fractured skull and brain haemorrhage.

But almost six months after the apology, Ms Owens said her son's care has continued to be "sporadic" and that her pleas for support were falling on deaf ears.

She said: "It feels like we have been black-balled by the trust because of our previous complaints and because of this Jesse's very dire needs are not being met.

"I am constantly worrying about him, what may happen to him in the future and whether the same thing will happen again. It is just horrendous.

"I will fight to my very last breath to try and get him as much support as I can."

Cath Byford, deputy chief executive of NSFT, said: "We take all complaints very seriously and are in regular contact with Ms Owens in relation to the support and care currently being provided to her son Jesse.

"If Ms Owens have further concerns we would encourage her to raise these with Jesse's care team at the next available opportunity."

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