‘Hospital’s failures led to woman’s death after she became trapped in window’

Miss Powell had been known to mental health services since the age of 16 and was being treated for emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) before eventually being sectioned in October 2019.

The jury at the inquest, sitting in Wells, heard that she was admitted to the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit in January 2020 because of an escalating pattern of self-harm.

In May 2020, she successfully absconded from the ward through a dining room window, despite that window being fitted with restrictors that should have prevented such an escape.

On the evening of 19 August, staff commenced a search when she failed to collect her medication at about 22:00 BST.

She was discovered with her lower body sticking out of a narrow gap, no bigger than 10cm wide, between 22:30 and 22:40.

The inquest found that the room had been left unlocked, despite her earlier escape attempts.

She died three days later at Yeovil District Hospital. Her primary cause of death being given as an hypoxic brain injury, which is caused by a lack of oxygen.