Remembering Daksha and Freya Emson 

This week marks 25 years since the death of Dr Daksha Emson and her three-month-old daughter Freya, an extended suicide of a dedicated psychiatrist and new mother who struggled with bipolar disorder.

The stigma around mental illness in the medical profession, fear of judgment, shame and potential damage to her career all made Daksha feel that she had to hide her condition. When she did seek help, these were often hurried, informal consultations in hospital corridors, preventing her from accessing comprehensive care.

It is a huge tragedy that these deaths happened, and we acknowledge and remember the impact this had. The inquiry into the deaths of Daksha and Freya highlighted the need for a confidential mental health service, a service which became NHS Practitioner Health.

All those years later, we still remember Daksha and Freya and the fact that without their loss, our service may not exist. Their legacy lives on through our work today.

Through remembrance, reflection and action, we strive to build a culture where seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness and where every healthcare worker knows that confidential, high-quality care and hope for recovery are always available.

As part of that legacy, NHS Practitioner Health has developed an online guide to suicide prevention and recovery, helping individuals and organisations respond with compassion and hope.