THE death of a ‘bubbly’ Taunton woman could have been avoided with better mental health support, it has been claimed.

On Thursday, an inquest heard how 25-year-old former Debenhams employee Kimberley Thomas, of Winchester Street, hanged herself after a series of relationships broke down.

Today, Kimberly’s mother, Tracy Thomas, of Prestatyn, said she had set up an on-line support network on the website Facebook, called Survivors of Family and Friends to Suicide claiming support services were under-resourced.

The trust that runs mental health services in Somerset says patients have access to round the clock support.

Ms Thomas said: “If there was anything Kim could do for someone she would do it. I’m not prepared to have her written off as a statistic.

“If my daughter had got the correct care then possibly she would still be here but the NHS doesn’t have enough funding to deal with this.

“Do the people left behind suffer? Yes they do, but not enough is done for the families.”

“I have also learnt that the stigma attached to losing a loved one when they take their own life remains. Some people believe it is down to poor up-bringing but with Kim this was not the case.”

At the inquest, friend Gemma Richardson described Kimberly as ‘bubbly’.

Paul Courtney, spokesman for Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In cases like this where individuals are being supported at home they are always given information about who they might contact out of hours or in the case of personal crisis.

“The majority of individuals are supported in the community.”

To access the SOFFTS support site, click on the Related Link on this page, where there is also a link to a tribute page to Kimberley.

  • The confidential Samaritans helpline number is 08457-909090.