Mental health staff have revealed they have called police on 22 occasions about patients missing from the QE2 Hospital in the last two years.

After an inquest jury blamed the death of Ozan Atasoy, 34, in May 2012, on serious failings at the Welwyn Garden City hospital’s psychiatric unit, the Welwyn Hatfield Times asked the Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust about other instances of patients going missing.

A spokeswoman replied that a patient had escaped from the smoking garden in October 2012, but was returned to the unit by police “soon afterwards.”

Police have been called on a further 21 occasions when staff have been worried about recovering patients on short term release, but all eventually returned unharmed.