'Super loving' dad needed help but it came 'three days too late'

The daughters of a "super loving" dad have paid an emotional tribute to him after he took his own life. Thomas Madden, known by loved ones as Tommy, died on Tuesday, September 17.

The 49-year-old's daughters, Lily, 23, and Layla, 19, described their dad as "incredible, kind and funny". The dad-of-two, from Kirkby, had suffered with poor mental health in the past, however this had recently deteriorated.

Speaking to the ECHO, his daughter Lily paid tribute to her dad. She said: "Dad was always super loving and caring. He was the life and soul of the party and he loved being the centre of attention. I am exactly the same.

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"If you see any of these qualities in me, I probably learned them from him. He looked big and strong, but he was a big softy, he had two girls and girl dogs."

Tommy had a keen interest in sport, taking part in bodybuilding, Ironman triathlons and marathons. Lily said this is where she got her love of fitness from and trained with her dad for her first bodybuilding competition last year.

Lily said: "Whatever he set his mind to, he just did it." She added her dad's love of competitive sports showed his resilience and this was testimony to how serious mental health illnesses are.

In a post on her social media, Lily said: "He was invincible, my protector, I never felt unsafe or threatened, he would tell me to ‘send them to dad’. My dad was incredibly strong-willed, superman some might have called him.

"He completed iron men, marathons, you gave him a challenge and he would set his mind to it and do it. I guess all these things really show the seriousness of mental health illnesses. He was so strong, and he tried so hard, and the demons in his own head still got the better of him."

Lily said her dad was under the home treatment team, which are crisis teams who can support patients if they have a mental health crisis outside hospital, according to charity Mind. She claimed her dad had been deemed a "risk to himself" by mental health services.

According to Lily, the crisis team had told Tommy and the family he would have a bed in an inpatient unit within 24 hours. However, she claimed the team told Tommy this for three days. She said: "Three days too late in the end."

A spokesperson for Mersey Care NHS Trust said: "We are aware of the tragic death of a service user with our mental health services and our thoughts go out to their friends, family and loved ones at this difficult time. We are unable to comment further because of rules governing patient confidentiality but we are co-operating fully with investigations from other agencies.”

Lily and her sister Layla said they wanted to share theirs and their dad's story to raise awareness of mental health. They also believe the mental health system needs to change, she said: "People who want to take their own life don't want to speak to someone on the phone, they want to be taken away for help.

"We want to save as many people as we can by sharing our story." In her post on social media, Lily added: "Please ask each other if you’re OK, please take mental health seriously and believe people when they tell you they’re struggling.

"And if you are struggling, please know that my phone is always on loud, my texts, DMs are always open, please speak to people and know that you’re not alone."

Lily also wanted to share a special thank you to her best friend Sophie Allen, who is a paramedic, and helped the sisters by taking the huge responsibility of IDing their dad following his death.

She said: "She did not want to put us through the pain of having to do that. However, she still had a relationship with our dad and I know this has traumatised her. I wanted to say thank you."

In memory of Tommy, Lily and Layla are raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. If you would like to donate, please click here.