Bournemouth woman failed by mental health system, inquest told

Lauren Bridges was "left alone, far from home with no treatment", her mother said

A woman who died while she was detained at a psychiatric hospital 250 miles (400 km) from her home was "massively failed by the mental health system", an inquest jury has heard.

Lauren Bridges, 20, from Bournemouth, died after an incident at Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in February 2022.

Her mother Lindsey Bridges said her environment "did more harm than good".

She said Lauren was "left alone, far from home with no treatment".

The 20-year-old begged to be let out of hospital two days before she died

Ms Bridges died at Wythenshawe Hospital, two days after she was found unresponsive in a Priory Hospital bathroom on 24 February.

Giving evidence at the hearing in Stockport, her mother said Lauren rang her earlier that evening "begging me to get her out".

She said her daughter was "hysterical" when she was given an hour to pack before being transferred to the hospital in July 2021.

She said she had "significant concerns" about Lauren's treatment, which showed a "lack of compassion and care".

Her "brave, beautiful" daughter was afraid of the other patients and "nothing was being progressed quickly enough", Lindsey Bridges said.

The inquest heard Lauren was a "straight-A student" despite suffering from mental health problems from the age of 15.

She had panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and struggled to leave the house, her mother said.

Lauren was first admitted to a psychiatric unit at the age of 17 and was transferred to a number of different hospitals a significant distance from her home, Lindsey Bridges told the hearing.

The coroner also heard that Lauren had been assessed as autistic.

The inquest continues.