Mum died at train station a month after discharge from psychiatric hospital

The family of a woman who died at a train station after a long battle with mental illness has raised concerns about her discharge from a psychiatric ward a month earlier. The mother of one, Kate Hedges, 35, died in November 2020 and was released from hospital in October, an inquest into her death has reported.

Paramedics were called to Stockport’s Gatley railway station following reports of a victim on the tracks on November 27. On the first day of an inquest at Manchester South Coroner’s Court she heard that she was diagnosed with dyspraxia as a child and autism as an adult.

She suffered significant trauma as she was bullied at school and raped when she was 19, according to the investigation. Mrs Hedge’s mother, Nuala Finegan, described her daughter as a “beautiful and brilliant person”.

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Ms. Hedges was diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder before earning a qualification in beauty therapy. She also started a successful cleaning business.

In 2018, she completed a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. In August 2019, Mrs. Hedges fell ill and told her mother that she couldn’t cope.

In the months that followed, he told his GP that he had had suicidal thoughts but never planned to act on them. Her young son was a major factor in her determination to move on, she told the inquest.

Mrs. Hedges, the court heard, was prescribed an antidepressant. On August 25, 2020, Ms. Finegan and other family members began receiving “troubling messages.” It became clear, the court heard, that Mrs Hedges had not slept for “several days”.

His sister Maya told the court that her brother’s behavior was “manic”. “He had never seen her like this,” she said, giving testimony.

He took his sister to A&E at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Ms Hedges was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Her sister said a few hours later she couldn’t find her and was later told she had been taken to the Medlock ward at Trafford General Hospital, run by the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust. “She had no family support by her side,” Ms Hedges told the court.

Dr. Emily Melling, who worked on the psychiatric ward, said Hedges exhibited “strange” behavior and had a manic episode, which had never happened to him before. Mrs Hedges claimed that she had been assaulted by courtroom staff, she heard the court.

Those claims were denied by the nurses, who said they sometimes had to hold her down. The court heard that on 9 September she was transferred to Bronte Ward at Wythenshawe Hospital, also run by the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, to be closer to her family.

The inquest heard that her loved ones were unsure how doctors planned to treat her. Her sister described some of her visits as “distressing.”

On one occasion, Sister Maya said she was mistaken for a patient and prevented from leaving. The family also expressed concern that Kate might leave, the court heard.

Ms. Finegan said that on October 4, her daughter left the room “without telling anyone” and attempted to travel to see her sister. She tried to catch a tram to Didsbury, but ended up in Manchester, where her brother picked her up. Her ‘manic’ behavior continued, her sister told the court, and she tried to jump out of the car.

During her hospital stay, Ms. Hedges was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she “didn’t accept.” She was discharged on October 28.

Maya said: “This was a complete shock to us and we received no information about his care upon leaving the hospital. There was no communication and no place where we could raise our concerns. We still couldn’t deal with his behavior at this point.”

Mrs Hedges moved to Wythenshawe, something she was “very excited” about, her mother said. Shortly after, stuck at home due to Covid, she became ‘very withdrawn’.

During a video call a few weeks later, Finegan said her daughter “seemed very lost.” Her sister said her brother “didn’t know who she was anymore.”

On November 27, Mrs. Finegan texted her daughter to make sure she would be ready for a delivery. Her loved ones lost touch after that.

At around 1:45 pm, British Transport Police officers and paramedics were called to Gatley railway station following a report of a casualty on the tracks.

Ms Hedges’ mother and sister raised concerns at the start of the four-day investigation about her care while in hospital and the decision to release her.

Her mother told the court: “The hospital was not proactive in hiring us. We had to chase the ward to get any information. We felt we had to remind the doctors that Kate had a family that wanted to be part of the solution.” We weren’t fully involved in any of the reviews of her.”

Dr. Muhammad Imran, a consultant psychiatrist at Wythenshawe Hospital, said Ms. Hedges was prescribed antipsychotic medication but continued to deteriorate during the first few days of her stay. He said that she “lacked understanding” of her difficulties in early September and did not believe that she was ill.

Mrs Hedges did not improve the following week, so she was put on another antipsychotic medication, to which she “reacted better”, the doctor said. After that, she was informed of her bipolar diagnosis, but she “ignored this,” Dr. Imran said.

In early November, Ms Hedges began to ‘get a sense’ of her poor mental health, which was a positive sign, Dr Imran said. By October 20, Dr. Imram said that he did not feel that Mrs. Hedges was not ready for discharge, despite her improvement.

That was the last day Dr Imran saw Ms Hedges before he went on annual leave, the court heard. It was raised that Ms Hedges had allegedly been touched inappropriately by another patient, which was reported to police, the court heard.

Concerns were expressed by his loved ones, who stated that he received no additional support, despite his history of sexual abuse.

The family’s representative, Matthew Baron, expressed his concerns to Dr. Imran, including his claim that they should have had information before she was released. Dr. Imran said he was surprised to learn that Ms. Hedges had been discharged when she returned to work, but he said he believed her colleagues would have “thought hard” about her decision.

“When people are getting better, home is the best place to get treatment,” said Dr. Imran.

Hedge’s mother, paying tribute to her daughter at the inquest, said: “Even when she wasn’t feeling well, she was very Kate. She had an infectious laugh and her death was devastating to us.”

The investigation continues.

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