'Every day I went to see her I knew something wasn't right'

They died within eight weeks of each other at the Priory's Cheadle Royal hospital. One had heard stories of celebrity stays at the provider's facilities. Her mum says it was 'nothing like what you see on the telly'. Chris Slater reports on the tragic cases of Deseree Fitzpatrick, Lauren Bridges and Beth Matthews

- Chris Slater

DESEREE Fitzpatrick was going through a difficult period in her life. She had been living in sheltered accommodation and was D struggling with her mental health.

The 30-year-old, from Sale, was 'upbeat' when she found out she was being referred to the Priory's Cheadle Royal hospital.

She said she was going to get treatment only celebrities received! Deseree was 'relieved she was finally going to get the help she so desperately needed, her family says.

Little did her loved ones know that four days after being admitted, she would be dead. Deseree choked in her sleep having taken an 'inappropriate' cocktail of medication.

She was one of three young women being treated at the facility to die within eight weeks between January and March, Lauren 2022. Bridges, 20, and Beth Matthews, 26, also lost their lives.

The three young women were NHS patients referred to the privately-run psychiatric hospital in the Stockport village for treatment for personality disorders.

They were on funded placements. Deseree, Lauren and Beth's deaths happened on three separate wards and were not linked.

Lauren, who had autism, was more than 250 miles from her family home for seven months.

An inquest returned a conclusion of misadventure after she was found hanged.

Jurors said they didn't believe she intended to take her own life and that her actions were instead a 'cry for help!

The court was told there were 'missed opportunities' for Dorset Healthcare - the NHS trust in Beth's home county which commissioned her stay at the Priory - to find her a bed closer to home.

Neglect contributed to Beth's death, the jury at her inquest found. She swallowed a poisonous substance she ordered over the internet. A conclusion of 'suicide contributed to by neglect' was recorded. A finding of neglect at an inquest means there was a gross failure to provide adequate care!