---
date: 2024-11-23T00:00:00
title: "Student's Death Highlights Failures at Worthing Hospital"
summary: "An inquest reveals that a Chichester teenager's death at Meadowfield Hospital was not intended as suicide, citing systemic care failures."
image: /img/news/news.jpg
draft: false
location: Worthing
---

**An inquest has found that a 19-year-old Chichester College student, who was discovered dead at Worthing’s Meadowfield Hospital, did not intend to take her own life, citing systemic care failures.**

Morgan-Rose Betchley, described by her family as "kind" and "gentle," died on March 9, 2023, during her final stay at the hospital's psychiatric ward. The inquest revealed a series of policy breaches, inadequate risk management, and failures in family involvement and discharge planning, which contributed to her deteriorating mental health. Morgan, who was diagnosed with autism earlier that year, had been re-admitted multiple times before her death.

Jurors concluded that while Morgan had a history of self-harm and suicidal ideation, her actions were a cry for help rather than an intent to end her life. They criticised staff at Meadowfield Hospital for not adapting care to meet her autism diagnosis and for mishandling incidents that further strained her mental health.

West Sussex Adult Services has since implemented changes, including mandatory autism awareness training and the introduction of family liaison roles.