A WOMAN committed suicide after escaping from a mental health ward, a jury has concluded following an inquest into her death.

Sharlene Godding, aged 27, was found hanged at her half brother's home the day after escaping from the Birch Ward — a 24-bed adult acute ward — at the Royal Bolton Hospital where she had been sectioned in February 2017 due to poor mental health.

A jury found that she was "let down" by the failures of medical staff to update risk assessments and to communicate with each other.

Miss Godding, of Deepdale Road in Breightmet, went on the run and, with the help of her half brother, David Walsh, avoided police because she did not want to return to the hospital, Bolton Coroners Court heard.

Miss Godding was staying at his flat in Lindfield Drive, Halliwell, but when he returned from work, he found her hanged in the bathroom. In his statement, Mr Walsh said: "I wish I had contacted the police or hospital when she rang me. I only wanted what was best for her."

The jury concluded that: "Sharlene Suzanne Godding died on March 1, 2017, as a consequence of suspending herself by a ligature.

"At the time, she was a patient detained under the Mental Health Act. She was suffering from a diagnosed illness of paranoia.

"The risk of self-harm was evident but appropriate precautions were not taken to prevent her death. She was let down by the failures to update risk assessment records and by staff failures to communicate."

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust apologised and said measures had been put in place to improve practices.

Gill Green, director of nursing for the trust said: "We offer our deepest sympathies to Sharlene Godding’s family and friends. Everyone who cared for Sharlene remains saddened at the tragic circumstances of this case.

"We wanted to make sure we robustly tested the care we had given to Sharlene and we carried out an independent investigation. Good aspects of care were observed but issues were identified. We acknowledge that risk assessments should have been kept more up to date and a care plan should have been completed sooner.

"For this we are very sorry and we have put measures in place to improve this.

"We will continue to strive to ensure that this learning will be sustained throughout our services, so that we can provide the best care we can to our patients."

The jury previously heard that Miss Godding had a baby boy who was taken off her by social services in summer 2016 due to having problems with a new partner. Miss Godding did not cope well without her son, her mental health deteriorated and in February 2017, she lost custody of her child.

Her employment as an Amazon delivery driver also ended that same month. Visits from nurses and doctors ensued until she was sectioned on February 24.

Senior Coroner for the District of Manchester West Jennifer Leeming said: "We would like to offer our most sincere sympathy to Sharlene's family, who have attended throughout, for her death.

"I think it is very clear from the evidence that we have heard that she was very unwell indeed and that is reflected in the findings that the jury have reached.

"Clearly when she was well, she was a different person.

"I was really struck by the fact she delivered 165 parcels in one day and what a hard worker she was when she was sufficiently well to do that."