Louise Furlong died just five days after she arrived at the Highbury Hospital
Joseph Connolly Local Democracy Reporter
18:00, 17 Feb 2026
Louise was known as ‘Loulou’ to friends and family(Image: ITV News Central)
A communication error resulted in the transfer of a mental health patient to a hospital – a move that went against explicit requests in her medical records.
Louise Furlong then died just five days after her arrival at Highbury Hospital in Nottingham, which is run by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, after a healthcare worker who was tasked with checking on the 19-year-old every 10 minutes sat on a sofa instead.
However, Louise shouldn’t have been at Highbury in the first place because of a “suicide pact” she had with another patient there – Sophie Towle, who also died as a result of the same hospital trust’s neglect 18 months later.
Notes warned that Miss Furlong should not be moved to Highbury from Bassetlaw Hospital, near Worksop, while Miss Towle was still there.
But a cock-up led to the transfer taking place overnight without staff at Bassetlaw knowing – leaving those caring for her “gobsmacked” to find she had vanished the next morning.
Miss Furlong’s inquest, taking place in front of a jury at Nottingham Coroner’s Court nearly three-and-a-half years after she died, heard evidence about her transfer from Bassetlaw on Tuesday, February 17.
The hospital’s operations manager at the time Louise was there, Joanna Hill, was called to give evidence.
Coroner Alexandra Pountney heard how Ms Hill was in charge of bed management for hospitals in the north of Nottinghamshire after Louise’s admission in June 2022.
The inquest previously heard how Miss Furlong wanted to move to Highbury to be closer to her family and friends.
But while there were also no bedspaces available at Highbury, it was noted that she shouldn’t go until Sophie was discharged or moved elsewhere.
As time went on, however, Louise’s behaviour was becoming increasingly difficult to manage for those at Bassetlaw.
She was regularly self-harming when granted leave, which led to the police and ambulance service both contacting the hospital and the senior management team had concerns.
Staff were hesitant to restrict her leave though, because the B2 ward at Bassetlaw Hospital had no outdoor space Louise could access without actually having to leave the hospital and the teenager “felt cooped up” when indoors and appreciated her fresh air, the court heard.
Contrastingly, Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s other two acute psychiatric wards suitable for Louise – Highbury and Millbrook at King’s Mill Hospital (now Blossomwood) – had gardens right outside their bedrooms.
The situation came to a head on September 7, 2022, when, fearing that at Bassetlaw they could not keep Louise safe, Ms Hill put Louise on the “transfer list” for an eventual move.
The plan was to discuss the move with Louise’s multi-disciplinary team – including Louise herself, the clinical psychologist on the ward and other managers – the next morning.
The meeting would discuss whether other options could be considered to avoid the destabilising nature of a transfer, or if it was unavoidable to move her, where she should go.
However, on the night of September 7, when all the regular staff had gone home, a bedspace had become available at Highbury and the transfer team arrived, took Louise and moved her.
Ms Hill arrived the next morning to find her gone, as did the clinical team with the medical training to support Louise – who hadn’t even been told she was being put on the transfer list.
Ms Hill told the inquest she was “gobsmacked” to find Louise gone and admitted herself, as part of the senior management team, and the clinical team, had no control over the move.
Five days later Louise was found with a ligature around her neck in her bathroom at Highbury.
She died the next day.
Sylwia Quaye-Mensah pleaded guilty to neglect in relation to Louise’s death on 18 November 2025(Image: Reach Plc)
The inquest into her death was delayed due to the protracted legal proceedings against Sylwia Quaye-Mensah, the staff member who was meant to be checking on her in the hour before she was found unconscious on September 11, 2022.
After Ms Hill had given evidence, the court heard from Rebecca Keating, Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s clinical director for acute care in adult mental health.
She explained what had been done at the trust to improve since Louise’s death.
Immediately afterwards, several investigations took place – one via an external company and one internally, with an additional report being produced by the trust after the external investigation.
There is now an internal “transfer checklist” at the trust, which includes that there must be a discussion with the patient and the MDT before any transfer.
Transfers are audited monthly via a sample of 10, to confirm all aspects of the checklist have been covered and internal meetings take place every day regarding safe care and bed prioritisation.
The inquest is expected to conclude this week.
