Carol Vaughan inquest: Woman had gone into reservoir in months before her death, daughter says

A woman went into a reservoir months before she was found dead at the same location, her daughter has told an inquest.

Mrs Carol May Vaughan, 61, was found by her daughter Karen Green in the reservoir opposite Millbrook Mental Health Unit, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, in January last year.

Karen made the discovery a few hours after her mother had left the unit unsupervised to have a cigarette.

Mrs Vaughan was pronounced dead shortly after being found, from heart failure caused by hypothermia. She had been missing for six hours.

Karen, of Coddington, told the inquest her mum had self-harmed at different points in her life.

She said her mother had drunk bleach, taken overdoses, and cut her wrists during spells when her mental health had deteriorated.

The inquest, at Nottinghamshire Coroner's Court, heard that Mrs Vaughan was diagnosed with bi-polar affective disorder by doctors in Lincolnshire, where she lived until 2012.

She had in-patient treatment 11 times between 1996 and 2011 and was treated by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Statements were read from healthcare staff at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, who said Mrs Vaughan was improving in 2011-12.

Karen said: "She would ring me up and say: 'I'm on the bus to town, Karen,' and she probably hadn't done that since I was at school.

"She managed very well, with coping strategies in place. There were patterns where she would have two or three good years, with perhaps only one or two episodes of dips.

"If there were stresses within the family, for example if something happened to me or my brother, then she would worry."

Mrs Vaughan married her husband John Vaughan in 2002. He suffered a series of strokes around 2009, resulting in Mrs Vaughan becoming his carer.

Karen said it was a job her mum carried out very well.

In 2012, Mrs Vaughan decided to move with her husband to Sutton-on-Trent to be nearer her family.

However, Karen said her mother's health and behaviour deteriorated after switching her healthcare from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, culminating in Mrs Vaughan taking an overdose in September 2013.

Mrs Vaughan was taken to Highbury Mental Health Unit, Bulwell, and subsequently was referred to the Millbrook unit, where she remained until her death.

Karen referred the court to incidents where Mrs Vaughan, while being treated at Millbrook, had wandered onto a pavement by a busy road and gone into the reservoir in the months leading up to her death.

Karen told the inquest she had complained to the unit about her mum's level of care, which she felt wasn't proactive enough.

"I was worried that I would be getting a phone call in the middle of the night saying she had killed herself," Karen said.

She added that changes were made to her mum's medication of which she was not aware until after her death.

Mr Michael Topley, who worked as a nurse at Millbrook, said: "Carol held a consistent and sustained wish to be discharged and live with her husband.

"She was never aggressive towards me. She could be difficult to deal with but she was never aggressive."

Nottinghamshire coroner Miss Mairin Casey said, based on statements, there were examples of Mrs Vaughan harming herself when she was released home on day-leave.

Mr Topley said: "Carol could never identify why she harmed herself when she was at home.

"She didn't know why she was doing these things but she desperately wanted to go home."

Other staff at Millbrook will give evidence throughout this week before a verdict is reached on Friday.

The inquest continues tomorrow at 10am.