A jury has been sworn in to serve at the inquest of a mother from Newmarket.
On Monday, an inquest into the death of Katarzyna Szymborska was resumed at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich.
Mrs Szymborska, who was a mother of three from Newmarket, died on October 18 of 2022, aged 48.
Until a few days before her death, Mrs Szymborska had been a patient at Wedgwood House in Bury St Edmunds. Wedgwood House is a mental health treatment facility located within the site of West Suffolk Hospital, but is a separate entity to the hospital, and is run by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
The court heard that Mrs Szymborska had struggled with her mental health in the past, having spent time in a psychiatric ward in her native Poland.
In 2009, she moved to the UK. Following the breakdown of a relationship in 2021, Mrs Szymborska’s sister moved into her rented accommodation.
However, when relations between the pair grew strained, Mrs Szymborska left the property, effectively becoming homeless.
Over the coming year, Mrs Szymborska’s mental health continued to deteriorate. From June 1 to June 30 in 2022, she spent time as a voluntary patient at the Priory Hospital in Norwich.
However, her mental health deteriorated further in July, with Mrs Szymborska taking action to harm herself in August. At this point, she was sectioned under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act, and became a patient at Wedgwood House.
Mrs Szymborska’s daughter met with clinicians on October 12. At the meeting, it was acknowledged that Mrs Szymborska’s presentation had not greatly changed during her admission, and she might improve better in a home setting.
The decision was made to discharge her on October 20.
On October 13, Mrs Szymborska’s daughter visited her mother, and advised clinicians of her intention to take her mother back to Poland to be treated at a suitable facility there. She said that, if her mother agreed, she would book plane tickets for October 17.
However, the following day, Mrs Szymborska was discovered in her room, where she had taken action to end her life.
She died in West Suffolk Hospital four days later.
The inquest continues.
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