Inquest into woman's psychiatric ward death begins

The father of a 20-year-old woman who died on a psychiatric ward has told an inquest into her death that his concerns about how much danger she was in were "not taken seriously".

Jessica Powell died on 22 August 2020, following an incident three days earlier at Summerlands Hospital in Yeovil.

Her parents waited four years for an inquest into her death, which began at Taunton Coroners' Court earlier on Monday.

A statement by her father, John Powell, read out at the hearing, said: "We had worried about Jess's self-harming and life-threatening behaviour and part of me was always expecting a call to say she had died, but it still came as a shock."

The inquest heard that on the evening of 19 August 2020, ward staff found Ms Powell stuck part way through a window that was open but subject to window restrictors.

She received emergency medical treatment and was taken to Yeovil District Hospital, but died from her injuries three days later.

From the age of 13, when she first tried to take her own life, Ms Powell had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals hundreds of miles away from her family, the inquest heard.

She was eventually diagnosed with emotional unstable borderline personality disorder.

In his statement to the court, Mr Powell said: "We got a call from the ward to tell us that there had been an incident with a window and Jess was being taken to hospital as she was not breathing.

"Ward staff did not inform us at this point that Jess had been found trapped in the window."

Ms Powell's psychiatrist, Roberta Orton, told the inquest she believed Ms Powell did not expect to not get through the window.

The inquest is due to end next week.

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