A vulnerable woman with mental health illness died after she 'absconded' from a supermarket while on 'accompanied leave' from a hospital with a support worker.
Hayley Cowan, 29, who was detained under the Mental Health Act at Prestwich Hospital, ran away when both her and the support worker she was with went to the toilet at the nearby Tesco store in Prestwich, Bury.
She was found dead the next day 'having used drugs at a friend's house where she had gone to', a report reveals. A coroner has subsequently said there's a 'lack of consistency' as to how 'accompanied leave' and 'escorted leave' are defined.
As a result, she's written to the Department of Health and Social Care and Home Secretary James Cleverly to 'prevent future deaths'. READ MORE: Woman, 23, hits out after she's called 's**g' and abused by men for her brave disclosure Ms Cowan died on June 4, 2022.