A HEARTBROKEN New Forest couple marked the first anniversary of their daughter's suicide by renewing their call for patient confidentiality rules to be reviewed.

Kay and David Edgell say they were powerless to prevent their daughter Lara from taking her own life, because they were never made aware of her worsening mental condition.

The couple claim say she was "killed by confidentiality" and have spent the past 12 months fighting for changes to the system.

Lara, 34, was staying in lodgings in Felpham, near Bognor Regis, on April 2 last year when she hanged herself.

Her parents say her suicide could have been averted if they had been warned about her state of mind in the weeks leading up to her death. They also claim that her doctors failed to exchange vital data.

Mrs Edgell, of Fathersfield, Brockenhurst, said: "There was not enough sharing of information between the two NHS trusts involved.

"Our involvement as Lara's next of kin was discounted. There was confusion as to her treatment and no evidence of any proper risk assessment or care plan.

"Both trusts claim Lara was not considered a suicide risk, but what were their criteria?

"Their own records show that she had carried out life-threatening self harm and had asked to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

"We know there's a shortage of beds, but where is care in the community'?

"Someone in Lara's state should have been in hospital under supervision - or in the care of a responsible adult and visited by an appropriate professional.

"In the end she was sent from her doctor to an empty house with a new and complicated course of medication to consider."

Southampton-born Lara was a community parks officer employed by Arun District Council.

An inquest into her death heard evidence from Dr Akram Wilson, a consultant psychiatrist who was supervising her mental health care.

Dr Wilson said Lara was suffering from depression but she had not shown any suicidal tendencies.

He stressed there was nothing that would have justified the NHS "impinging on her freedom" by carrying out a mental health act assessment.

Martin Millward, assistant deputy coroner of West Sussex, recorded a verdict that Lara killed herself but refused to recommend the health service to change its policy on patient confidentiality.

Today Mr and Mrs Edgell repeated their plea for the rules to be reviewed.

Mrs Edgell said: "No one should have to go through what we've gone through and yet cases like ours are still happening."