Bradford woman's fire death was 'preventable', family tell inquest

Hannah Kilgallon had been a patient at Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford prior to her death

The daughter of a woman killed in a house fire while on leave from a mental health unit has told an inquest she believes her death was preventable.

Hannah Kilgallon, 50, was found dead at her home in Haworth Road, in Bradford, on 10 February 2019.

She had been on home leave from the Lynfield Mount Hospital when she died.

Her daughter, Dulcimer Willoughby, told Bradford Coroners Court that had she known her mother had been allowed to leave she might still be alive.

The inquest heard Ms Kilgallon, who had a number of mental health issues including bi-polar disorder, had spent several months at Lynfield Mount before being discharged on 29 January.

However, on 8 February she was readmitted, though only as a voluntary patient, meaning she was able to leave the unit if she wanted.

The inquest heard Ms Kilgallon instructed staff at the unit not to tell her daughters she was allowed to return home.

In a statement Ms Willoughby said: "[My mother] was mentally ill with a long-term illness.

"I strongly believe had we been contacted ... I could have prevented her death.

"We warned the services she was a severe risk, but she wasn't taken seriously time and time again.

"We have lost our kind and caring mum and have lots of questions relating to her death that I hope we can get answers to."

• More stories from around Yorkshire

Giving evidence consultant psychiatrist Dr Sarfaraz Aslam Shora said at the time of her discharge in January Ms Kilgallon had been mentally "stable" and was "co-operative with her care plan".

Community mental health nurse, Ricki Lawes, told the inquest when he visited Ms Kilgallon at home on 3 February she was "polite, pleasant and engaging", adding "[she was] the best I had seen her".

However on his next visit on 8 February, he said she was holding what he thought to be a glass of wine and appeared too intoxicated for him to carry out an assessment.

Later that day she returned to the hospital as a voluntary patient. She died two days later.

The inquest continues.