A student nurse criticised mental health services before her tragic death, as revealed in an inquest.
Bronwen Morgan, aged 26, was discovered unresponsive at a hotel in Pentwyn, Cardiff, in August 2020. Her family described the Cardiff University nursing student as ‘bright and beautiful,’ but the coroner’s court in Pontypridd learned that she had grappled with mental health challenges for several years.
During the initial stages of a five-day inquest into her passing, Coroner Graeme Hughes was informed that Ms. Morgan had made multiple suicide attempts after March 2020.
On August 27 of that year, she informed her father, Haydn, that she would be visiting a friend’s house after he had dropped her off at her GP’s office. However, she never reached her friend’s home.
Text messages between Ms. Morgan and her friend, Olivia Childs, included statements from Ms. Morgan indicating that she ‘did not want to be found.’ The two discussed mental health services, with Ms. Morgan expressing her frustration, saying she was ‘done with it all.’
Her phone was traced to a Premier Inn hotel in Pentwyn, where the police discovered her unresponsive, along with a letter outlining her ‘dissatisfaction with her care and treatment plan’ and her ‘desire for a change in the approach from services.’
Consultant psychologist Dr. Emma Morgan informed the inquest that Ms. Morgan had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2019. She received antidepressants and other medications, and by June 2020, she was receiving dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a treatment aimed at helping patients acquire skills to manage challenging emotions.
Dr. Morgan also mentioned that in the months preceding her death, Ms. Morgan’s self-harm attempts had become ‘riskier.’ However, the psychiatrist did not believe that Ms. Morgan needed to be detained under the Mental Health Act, and her care continued in the community.
During the inquest, the psychiatrist was questioned about a meeting where potential future interventions were discussed, including placing Ms. Morgan under a community protection order, which would have meant she could be arrested if she attempted self-harm.
Dr. Morgan revealed that Ms. Morgan was ‘really upset’ when informed about this possibility, as she feared it would ‘ruin her future.’ When questioned about concerns raised by Ms. Morgan regarding her lack of involvement in her care plans, the psychiatrist responded, ‘we did our best.’
The inquest is ongoing.