Mum calls for helpline review

Eighteen months on, Linda Smith still has questions about her daughter's death. Photo/Paul Taylor

The mother of a woman who died after her calls to emergency helplines went unanswered, wants an urgent review of the services.

Linda Smith's daughter Tracey Ridley died at her Hastings home on December 28, 2012. The 30-year-old had alcohol and fatal doses of a painkiller in her system.

Mrs Smith remembers it like it was yesterday.

"You die yourself, you break in two. You just die. You get up in the morning and put a face on and [try to] get on with your life ... There is always that question, why?" On Wednesday, coroner Gary Evans released the findings of an inquest into Ms Ridley's death.

He said it could not be established whether the death was intentional based on the evidence brought before him.

He recommended reviewing the structure and operation of helpline services.

Mrs Smith supports the call for a review.

"I've rung helplines myself and if you can't get through, even if it is important, you can't get through. For me they need more helpline workers and they need more sponsors."

Coroner Evans recommended the helplines deliver a 24-7 service providing triage, assistance and advice of a high standard across all areas.

Before her death, Ms Ridley called her partner, her brother, the Alcohol Drug Helpline and the Depression Helpline, the finding said. The calls to the helplines were made at 2.05am and 2.08am. Neither helpline was operating at those hours.

Mrs Smith didn't think her daughter was trying to take her life but believed it was more of a cry for help.

"We'd actually gone out for lunch [that day]... She had sort of made plans and was actually going to come home and stay with me for a little while. It was unexpected."

The event has taken its toll on the family, who have suffered two other traumatic events in their lives, Mrs Smith said.

"Tracey's aunty was murdered 28 years ago, but I don't want to go into that, and her father died. He had an epileptic fit and drowned when Tracey was not quite 2."

Despite those incidents, Ms Ridley was a fun-loving person, Mrs Smith said.

"She had a caring nature and was always laughing and joking. She would stand up for herself but she was just a genuine, caring person."

Mrs Smith said she wanted to speak out so no other families went through the trauma her family was going through.