SIX years after a talented sportsman killed himself in a low-security mental health unit, his family have praised a new centre opened in his name.
Ed Jackson, 18, who was thought to have had schizophrenia, hanged himself in 2007 at Colchester's Maple Unit.
The £5 million Edward House at Chelmsford's Linden Centre welcomed its first 20 patients on Thursday, August 8.
A week earlier, on Thursday, August 1, Ed's parents Jayne and Arthur, and younger brother Ben, travelled from their home in Suffolk, to unveil a plaque in memory of a "healthy, happy and bright lad" at the new centre on Puddings Wood Lane.
The centre's chief executive and manager have both hailed the 1,700 square metre site as a "statement of change".
A family statement reads: "We are very pleased to have Ed – our wonderful son – remembered in this way. Although it is a very painful memory, we do feel we need to speak up.
"We are pleased to see resources going into a modern up-to-date facility. However, we know that a service is only as good as the people who work in it."
The statement adds: "During our short dealings with the Mental Health Services, we assumed the professionals were the experts but, what we came to realise was that we, his family, were the real experts about Ed.
"We ask you to listen to relatives with an open mind. Health professionals have great power and we ask that you use your power wisely and with compassion.
"By naming this unit after Ed we are entrusting you with his good name. If it lives up to the ideals we've mentioned, Edward House will have been well-named; for our much-missed son."
An inquest in October 2011 concluded the balance of Ed's mind was disturbed.
A verdict ruled that ineffective communication at the unit, inadequate risk assessment and a lack of therapeutic activities contributed to his death.
At 6ft 4in, Ed was described as a brilliant footballer, keen biker, runner and fisher, as well as boasting ten GCSEs.
In 2008, nurses at the North Essex Partnership approached the family asking if they would put Ed's name to a new centre for patients aged 18 and over.
North Essex Partnership chief executive Andrew Geldard thanked the "compassionate" staff who made the project work.
The partnership, which provides mental health, substance misuse and social care services to 23,600 clients, funded the new centre entirely from its own funds.
Joined by about 70 others at the opening, Mr Geldard, said: "This is a good day to be a Foundation Trust and when the real point of being a Foundation Trust shines out.
"Good luck to all at Edward House – to the staff and to the patients who will look back on their time here as the beginning of their recovery."
