Hove Woman discharged from Worthing hospital despite pleas to stay

Rachel Garrett, 22, wrote a letter to staff at Meadowfield hospital in Worthing as she felt it would stop her becoming a “revolving door” patient.

However, doctors at the hospital thought Rachel could be treated in the community and chose to discharge her despite pleas from her family.

In a letter to Dr Swaraj Thancanamootoo, a consultant psychologist at Meadowview, read by family lawyer Emma Favata, Rachel wrote: “I was shocked at the thought of being discharged on Thursday [April 2, 2020].

“I truly believe that if I leave on Thursday I will simply just relapse which is what happened at Langley Green [mental health clinic in Crawley] last week.

Rachel Garrett (Image: Family handout)

“I think a few weeks in hospital where I don’t self-harm and work with staff will reduce my likelihood of becoming a revolving door patient.

“Please, please let me prove to you that this admission longer than Thursday will be different because my aim is to stop self-harming so drastically that I raise the likelihood of me coming into hospital again.”

Rachel’s father Andy also expressed concerns at the discharge, with Ms Favata telling the court that he told staff his daughter would perceive it as a “huge rejection of her behaviour” and a “slap in the face”.

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Despite the letter, a decision was made by staff at the hospital that a longer hospital stay would not be beneficial for Rachel and that she would be better treated in the community.

At the inquest into her death, which happened in July 2020, Dr Thancanamootoo defended the decision, adding: “Sometimes we do disagree with the patients.

“With Rachel’s case I understand she wanted to remain in hospital but the staff and I did not feel there was further benefit to that.

“We want to give her support. Being in hospital wasn’t going to give any long-term benefit.”

Rachel, described as the “joyful, beating heart” of her family, fell from a cliff at Brighton Marina on July 29, 2020.

The inquest into her death is looking into her treatment in the months leading up to her death. In a statement read to court, her family criticised her treatment by mental health services as well as police.

Police officers and mental health nurses gave evidence that during one visit to cliffs near Brighton, Rachel was pinned to the ground by officers and members of the public who feared she was going to fall.

Meadowview Hosptial

PS Robert Dewing also told the hearing that during that incident Rachel was arrested for assaulting a mental health nurse.

Rachel's family have expressed concern at how her struggles were criminalised and how the effect this had was not understood by professionals.

A Sussex Police spokesman previously said the force were fully supporting the coronial process. 

The inquest at the Leonardo Hotel in Stroudley Road, Brighton, overseen by senior coroner Penelope Schofield, continues and is expected to last two weeks.