The death of a young mother who was found near a train station was “contributed to by neglect” an inquest has heard.

Rachel Jones, 32, died after being allowed to leave hospital with staff not realising that she was missing.

An inquest heard that hospital staff failed to respond to a report the previous day that Rachel intended to kill herself upon discharge.

Speaking following the inquest, Rachel’s mother Lorna Wilson said: “The day Rachel died will be etched into my memory forever, and the pain is still as raw as it was back then. “Not a day goes by when we don’t wish she was still here, and to know that she didn’t get the care she should have is really tough to accept.

“Since losing Rachel, there’s a huge hole in our lives. She was the best daughter, sister, partner and mum, and its heart breaking that she’s no longer with us.

“Our priority now is to raise her son, Tommy, how Rachel would have wanted and make sure that he knows every day how much she loved him.”

Rachel was being treated at Langley Green Hospital in Crawley on May 6 and the court heard how she asked to be let out for 15 minutes at 10.40am. She briefly returned on two occasions and left for the final time at 11.50am. 

At around 2.15pm, police attended the hospital’s Coral ward to report that a body had been found close to Ifield train station.

Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield recorded a narrative conclusion that Rachel took her own life but that there was a failure to check her whereabouts and follow the AWOL policy which was “probable” to have contributed to her death and therefore Rachel's death was "contributed to by neglect".

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Following a Serious Incident Review, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, who run Langley Green Hospital, wrote to Rachel’s family offering its “deepest apologies that Rachel did not receive the care she should have”.

Catherine Knight, a lawyer with Irwin Mitchell who represented Rachel’s loved ones at the inquest, said: “The past year has been incredibly difficult for Rachel’s family who are still struggling to come to terms with losing her so suddenly and in such tragic circumstances.

“Sadly, the hearing has highlighted worrying issues in the care Rachel received prior to her death. It’s now vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety. We therefore welcome the Trust’s pledge to make changes.”

A Sussex Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman said: "We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Rachel Jones.

"We are deeply sorry that the standard of care provided to Rachel was not as it should have been.

"We have made improvements; specifically, the approval process for when patients go on leave from hospital and when they go missing."