Woman, 20, who died whilst detained on psychiatric unit 250 miles from home 'should have been given higher priority' inquest told

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A young woman who died whilst detained on a psychiatric unit 250 miles from home should have been given 'higher priority' during the search for a bed at a unit closer to her family, her doctor has told an inquest into her death.

It comes as a jury was told Lauren Bridges could have been 'exploited' by other patients during her stay at The Priory's Cheadle Royal hospital.

Lauren, 20, was found unconscious in a bathroom at the privately-run hospital in Stockport on February 24 last year. She was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital suffering a cardiac arrest and later placed on life support, which was withdrawn and she died two days later. Join our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link. Lauren, from Bournemouth in Dorset, and who had a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), had been detained under the mental health act and transferred to the Pankhurst unit, a psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU), at Cheadle Royal in July 2021.

Her mother has previously told the hearing that the move 'broke her and our family' and that days before her death she 'begged' her to get out.