In a statement read out by the family’s solicitor, Iftikhar Manzoor, alongside Ms Winham’s brother Roy and mother Marilyn, thedy said: “When Laura was referred to adult social care in October 2017, as the police raised concerns as to her having little food or money and being without a network of friends or family, all that happened was a letter that was sent and that was a huge opportunity missed to assess Laura’s health and to take action.
On Tuesday, coroner Karen Henderson ruled there were “lost opportunities” for multiple agencies in the run-up to her death, including Woking Borough Council and its former contractor, New Vision Homes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and Surrey County Council’s adult social care team.
The court heard that, following a police referral in October 2017, the county council’s adult social care team called and wrote to Ms Winham offering advice about food banks, but did not visit the property.
The court previously heard that Ms Winham’s family last saw her in person in 2009, and contact over social media had stopped in 2014 after she sent them a message on Facebook which read: “It is best to have minimum/no contact.
An inquest held at Surrey Coroner’s Court ruled her cause of death was “unascertained” and found it was impossible to narrow down a time of death, but a calendar in Ms Winham’s flat had dates crossed off until November 1 2017.
