A 20-YEAR-OLD woman who had a history of “deliberate self-harm, ligaturing and overdose” died after taking her own life at a care home, an inquest heard.

D’Anna Ward had been placed under a community treatment order by her care team in Bradford prior to being moved to an out-of-area supported living placement at Wessex Close Care Home in Huncoat, near Accrington, Lancashire. The Bradford care team made a referral to local mental health services and an official handover was completed at the end of April last year.

Last August, she was found hanged in her room at Wessex Close after suffering from “emotionally unstable personality disorder”.

Ms Ward had attended the emergency department at Blackburn Royal Hospital more than 20 times between November 2014 and August 2015 while staying at Wessex Close.

The inquest heard that Ms Ward had previously been admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act and was staying in the home under a Community Treatment Order after she was discharged in November 2014.

After being found by a member of Prospects Supported Living Ltd staff, she was taken to the Critical Care unit at Royal Blackburn Hospital, but died three days later after suffering from irreversible brain damage.

Giving an open verdict, Michael Singleton, senior coroner for Blackburn, said: “D’Anna Ward was suffering from emotionally unstable personality disorder and was residing in supporting living at Wessex Close, Accrington, under a Community Treatment Order.

“She had a history of engaging in deliberate self-harm. On Friday, August 7, 2015, shortly after 1pm, she suspended herself by the neck.This could not have been reasonably anticipated and her intentions in so doing were unclear.”

Ms Ward’s dad Andrew Ward said that his daughter’s health “deteriorated” during her stay at the home.

Ms Ward first became known to mental health services in early 2013 when she was admitted to an inpatient facility in Yorkshire due to self-harm behaviour. She spent much of 2014 detained under Section Three of the Mental Health Act in acute psychiatric wards, breaking her toes. In September 2014 a consultant psychiatrist reported a ‘significant chance of her accidentally killing herself’ due to her behaviour.