Our family has been devastated by the tragic death of Dan my beloved husband. A remarka-ble person who touched the lives of so many with kindness and encouragement. But behind the smiles suffered years of severe depressive illness. Who when he turned to NHS Mental Health Services only to find it grossly inadequate and unable to offer him any proper care or support. An institutional disregard and uncaring that contributed to his tragic death by sui-cide on a sunny afternoon 2nd July 2018. After three years of refusing to investigate NHS Complaints finally upheld the following complaint.

"Point 4. The very long waits for NHS Manchester CCG’s commissioned mental health ser-vices in 2018 meant that your husband was highly unlikely to obtain the continuation of the therapy recommended and received on a weekly basis, by his former health provider and specialist clinicians; this resulted in the only option available to obtain any swift therapy be-ing via the private sector. If NHS Manchester CCG had been able to commission the correct therapy and service in a timely manner, then your husband might have obtained the treat-ment his former clinicians had delivered and recommended, and that such treatment might have been able to prevent his tragic suicide." [Source; NHS Complaint Report Ref: MAN/00023972.]

Through Do it for Dan, his family, many friends and colleagues hope to ensure that help is there for the other Dans in our community. That they do not have to suffer similar ill-treatment and tragic fate.