A mother has blamed a hospital after her daughter was found dead with a ligature round her neck.

Cathy Corr made the emotional accusation during an inquest into the death of her 30-year-old daughter, Lisa Cummings.

Miss Cummings had been a patient at The Dene in Goddards Green, near Burgess Hill, where she was being treated for schizophrenia.

Her body was found on the evening of June 7 by hospital staff during a routine room inspection.

She was found lying on her back on the floor of her room with the cord of her pyjama bottoms tied around her neck.

During yesterday's inquest at Haywards Heath, Ms Corr said: "Why wasn't something done? I can't take it, I can't take it."

Crying, she walked to the door, banging her fist on one of the desks and said: "Something should be done and done now.

"She would be alive if it wasn't for the hospital."

As she left the room, coroner Roger Stone adjourned the hearing for ten minutes.

The inquest had previously heard how Miss Cummings, from London, had been in various hospitals during the past 15 years.

She had been on medication and had shown disturbed behaviour, including swallowing money and batteries.

She had heard voices telling her to bang her head against the wall and had put ligatures around her neck.

But doctors said they believed Miss Cummings, who arrived at The Dene in August 2001, had been improving and they were hoping she could be moved back into the community at some point in the future.

On the day of her death, however, care worker Charity Mwamgara said Miss Cummings' mood had gone from "jokey" to "flat".

She said Miss Cummings had often said she wanted to leave the hospital.

Miss Mwamgara and her colleague, Joseph Fembeh-Vana, found Miss Cummings' body about 15 minutes after a previous room inspection by another hospital worker.

Mr Fembeh said: "Lisa's door was locked so we unlocked it. She was flat on her back with her head close to the door. We shouted her name. There was no response."

He said they checked her breathing and pulse, cut off the ligature and tried resuscitation.

Mr Mwamgara said: "Maybe she was trying to cry for help and came to the door and maybe she fell."

Mr Stone asked: "You think she was making for the door and collapsed?"

Mr Mwamgara said: "Yes, that's right."

The inquest also heard from Dr Peter Wilkins, a consultant neuropathologist at St George's Hospital in Tooting, London.

Dr Wilkins said there were no marks on Miss Cummings' neck, or anywhere else on her body, suggesting she had died from vasovagal inhibition, in which pressure on a certain part of the neck stops the heart and the blood supply to the brain, resulting in almost immediate death.

Mr Stone recorded an open verdict.

He said: "I hope by hearing what evidence is available the family will dwell upon the benefit they have had from the life of Lisa.

"I'm sure they will only take with them the memories they have of her and they will have satisfied at least some of their concerns."