Rebecca Hill was diagnosed with a severe personality disorder

Rebecca Hill was found hanged, with an electrical cord round her neck in a bathroom at the St David's Hospital in Carmarthen, in December 2001 despite being a five-minute observation.

Following the verdict on Thursday, Rebecca's parents Granville and Ruth Hill of Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, insisted that "lessons should be learned" following her death.

At the climax of an emotionally-charged three-and-a-half day hearing, an inquest jury took less than an hour to return a verdict of suicide - that the balance of mind was disturbed, contributed to by neglect.

They had heard how nurses had seen Miss Hill with evidence that would try to take her own life twice in the hour before she died and that these incidents had not been logged in hospital records.

Granville and Ruth Hill says lessons need to be learned from their daughters death

Rebecca Hill had been suffering from bulimia and depression and 18 months before her death had been diagnosed with a severe personality disorder.

Once inside the hospital, she began harming herself - lacerating her arms. Convinced that she was suicidal, it was deemed necessary to put her under a five-minute watch.

That mean nurses were to check on her every five minutes and keep a written log of how she was doing.

The inquest jury was then told that shortly before she was found hanged on the night of 20 December 2001, she was seen by a nurse standing on her bedroom windowsill, trying to make a noose out of dressing gown.

Vodka

And before that, she had been seen trying to hide electrical cord under her top.

Even so, the hearing was told, she was not put on a higher level of observation.

She was almost twice the drink-drive limit when she died after secretly drinking vodka with another patient which was smuggled onto the unit.

When it was read out in court that neglect had played a part in her daughter's death, Mrs Hill broke down.

Outside the court, Mr Hill spoke of his relief that having waited 18 months, the inquest was finally over.

"I think they (the hospital) need to learn a lot of lessons."

Mr Hill and his wife said they had not decided if they would take further action over their daughter's death.

"We will have to go away and reflect and think," he added.

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust, which runs St David's, said: "Thorough reviews were commenced immediately following Miss Hill's death to ensure that lessons were learnt.

"We will be reflecting on the verdict to ensure that all necessary actions have been taken and continue to extend our sympathy to Miss Hill's family."