A NUMBER of failings led to the death of a young Bournemouth woman who was placed in a mental health hospital far away from home, an inquest has heard.
Lauren Bridges, aged 20, was an inpatient at the privately-run Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal, near Stockport, when she was found unresponsive on February 24 last year.
The aspiring doctor was taken to hospital and her family made the six-hour drive to be at her bedside, before her life support was withdrawn the following day.
The jury of an inquest has concluded Lauren’s cause of death to be misadventure.
Lauren had been at Cheadle Royal for over seven months and an out-of-area patient for more than 500 days, and was “desperate” to be closer to home.
The inquest, held at South Manchester Coroner’s Court in Stockport, heard how the prolonged stay in the psychiatric unit and delays moving closer to home led to her mental health to deteriorate.
Read more: Inquest after Bournemouth woman died in mental health hospital
Lauren’s mum Lindsey Bridges said: “Lauren was the most beautiful person inside and out and I am so proud she was my daughter.
“We were always making plans for her and her future. Lauren was excited to get back into education. She was kind and considerate and wanted to help others by becoming a nurse or a doctor.
“Despite her challenges she worked so hard to be heard, to be understood and get home. However, we are left feeling that when Lauren needed help the most, she was let down.
“Lauren initially went into hospital voluntarily aged 17. It is a reflection of our mental health system that she never came home for good.
“Lauren was moved from one out of area hospital to hospital to another, getting worse and worse over time. Our concerns and Lauren’s requests to come home were ignored.
“The system we currently have isn’t equipped to deal with our most vulnerable. Sending mental health patients hundreds of miles away from home to receive treatment does not work.”
Read more: Inquest for Bournemouth woman Lauren Bridges to resume
Specialist lawyer Alexander Terry said: “The last four weeks listening to the evidence has been incredibly upsetting for [the family] but they have displayed incredible strength and fought for the answers that they as a family, and Lauren, deserve.
“Dorset Healthcare have admitted shortcomings in their systems for recording the identity and relevant circumstances of its out of area patients, and in its processes for assessing those patients for repatriation to Dorset. As a result, there were missed opportunities to bring Lauren home.
“We will continue to fight for justice for Lauren and for a better mental health system.”
A spokesperson for Dorset Healthcare said: “Our deepest sympathies go to Lauren’s family and friends for their terrible loss. We can’t imagine their pain and grief.
“We have listened very carefully to all the evidence presented at this inquest and fully accept that the systems we had in place to bring people back to Dorset and closer to home were not what they should have been at the time of Lauren’s death.
"We profoundly regret that we could not respond to Lauren’s need to be nearer to her home and her family.
“Our priority is to address the issues related to Lauren’s tragic and untimely death.”
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