Heartbroken family tell how junior doctor Rose Polge drowned herself off Devon coast after becoming fed-up of NHS
Tragic Rose Polge left a suicide note in her car which apparently mentioned Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
THE grieving sister of junior doctor Rose Polge who took her own life last year has revealed the family are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
Rose, who was 25, died off the coast of Devon amid reports she left a note mentioning the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
She was later discovered drowned after she walked out to sea in Torquay.
The young doctor had been "down and depressed" and struggled with the strain of her pressurised role in the NHS, an inquest heard.
Rose grew up in Cambridgeshire and was from a family who also worked in healthcare.
Her dad Dr Mark Polge is a GP at Royston's Roysia Surgery while her brother Sam is an orthopist at Addenbrooke's in Cambridge.
Her older sister Dr Hazel Polge works at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge.
Rose's grieving family struck out at NHS working conditions after the tragedy - with doctors working long hours under high pressure.
Her sister Hazel, who works at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge, is commemorating her sister by taking part in a "Running for Rose"; event.
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All of the proceeds will go to
: "Work related stress and acute despair can hit anyone at any time in any career - but this is our story.
"Rose was in her first year of work as a junior doctor - as with all juniors, she worked long shifts and antisocial hours.
"Often she would go without a break, getting home long after her shift had officially finished, ensuring everything was done to the best standard possible.
"In caring so well for everyone else, she didn’t care enough for herself.
"Rose took her own life on the 12th of February 2016, devastating her family, partner and friends.
"‘Sisters by chance, friends by choice’ were the words on a picture frame Rose kept in her room in Devon - I gave it to her years ago with a photo of us as kids on the beach.
"And I was so touched she had taken it to her new home.
"Losing Rose is something we will never recover from, but by raising money and awareness maybe we can make a difference.
"Even if just one person is saved, to those that love them, that will be everything."
To help Hazel raise money for Mind
Rose was last seen on February 12 lady when she walked out of Torbay Hospital in South Devon feeling stressed from her shift.
The junior doctor was "down and depressed" before her death and made a "for and against list", an inquest heard.
South Devon Coroner Ian Arrow recorded a verdict of "death as a result of drowning or hypothermia by immersion in water" at Torbay Coroner's Court.
A note apparently mentioning Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was found in a car close to the scene.