Woman let down by hospital staff, mum tells inquest

The mother of a 19-year-old woman who died at a hospital in Nottingham said her daughter was "let down" by healthcare staff.

Louise Furlong died at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) on 12 September 2022, the day after she was transferred there from Highbury Hospital, where she had been held under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act.

A jury at Nottingham Coroner's Court heard on Monday that Furlong had a history of self-harm.

Carmel Bushell said her daughter should have been looked after more closely by staff at Highbury Hospital, adding an incident where she absconded when staff reportedly did not know was "very concerning".

Referred to in court as Lou-Lou, the jury heard Furlong had "a complex psycho-social history", which included episodes of self-harm and a diagnosis of "emotionally unstable personality disorder".

At the time of her death, she was being kept in hospital and under 10-minute observations, due to the level of risk.

In statements read out to court, Bushell said her daughter was "such a caring person" who loved painting, drawing and singing, but said there was "a change in her behaviour" at about the time she went to secondary school.

After living with her father for a year aged 14 she returned to live with her mother, after which she was placed in foster care and children's homes due to her challenging behaviour.

"I tried to help her, and I went to counselling sessions with her, but I couldn't cope with her behaviour," Bushell said.

She was in specialist residential care after turning 18, and on 5 June 2022 she was taken to Bassetlaw Hospital, where she was kept until her transfer to Highbury Hospital on 7 September, which occurred after police raised safeguarding concerns.

The court heard neither Furlong nor a multi-disciplinary team meeting at Bassetlaw Hospital on 6 September had been made aware of the transfer plans.

Bushell said she spoke to her daughter nearly every day, but jurors heard she was alarmed to learn she had absconded from Highbury Hospital on 9 September when speaking to her the following day.

"I found it very concerning that she was able to leave the hospital when she was a high-risk patient," she said.

"It wasn't until her friend called to say she was in McDonald's that the hospital staff noticed."

After seeing her daughter was looking unwell during a call on 11 September, Bushell said she called the hospital at about 18:00 BST, and was told by a nurse they would check on her and watch a film with her.

The court heard a check was made at 18:30, where no concerns were raised, but another check at about 19:10 found her unresponsive in the bathroom.

Emergency services were called, and she arrived at the QMC at about 20:40, but treatment was withdrawn and she was confirmed deceased at 00:30 on 12 September.

Bushell told the court she was not made aware of how serious her daughter's condition was when she was informed of "an incident" by hospital staff on 11 September, which she said meant she did not arrive at the QMC until the early hours of 12 September.

"I really feel that Louise has been badly let down by the healthcare system," she said.

The inquest continues.

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