‘He came to you and you turned him away’

AMAN referred by his doctor to an A&E unit as an urgent suicide risk hanged himself after hospital staff sent him back to the GP.

Joe Black, 21 had been sent for specialist treatment on a Friday after he expressed thoughts about taking his own life following an acrimonious break up with his girlfriend.

But psychiatric experts referred the former school head boy back to his doctor claiming inpatient admission was not needed and that he should ‘work on self care.’

Just three days later customer care representative Joe was found dead at his home in Macclesfield after two worried work colleagues went to his flat when he failed to turn in for his shift.

At an inquest in the town, Mr Black’s mother Clare condemned staff at Macclesfield District Hospital over their assessment of him claiming they ‘turned away’ her son when he was a ‘’broken man.’’

She said: “He’s a young man seeking help from his GP. He is referred to A&E but then told to go back to his GP. There’s a breakdown here and it just feels like it’s

Friday night, no beds and less paperwork. He was a broken man asking for help.

“What am I going to tell my other two children? Wait a minute you haven’t ticked the right boxes?. He came to you and you turned him away.”

The hearing was told Mr Black, 21, had been head boy at school and loved football which he played for 16 years and was very gifted at maths which he later went onto study for a year at Sheffield university.

But his mental health deteriorated during a three year relationship with his unnamed girlfriend. He dropped out of university and the relationship broke down at the end of July last year leaving Mr Black isolated after having cut himself off from friends.

In the weeks before his death on August 12 he had been trying to get on with his life and make a fresh start even joining the gym

the day of his death.

The court heard Joe struggled to cope with rumours about the relationship after it ended.

Mrs Black told the hearing: “His relationship with his girlfriend broke down and she moved out about a fortnight before Joe’s death. His studies didn’t work out and there where relationship difficulties and he decided to leave university at the end of first year.

“His relationship had been something of an up and down one over the years. That was a difficult separation and it hit Joe hard.

“At the time of his death she still had some of her belongings in the flat something continued to way heavily on Joe’s mind.

“Joe always wanted to do what he could to please her and was burning the candle at both ends.

“Joe’s relationship started around 2015 and he fell madly in love but think this was the time when his mental health began to deteriorate. His behaviour became challenging between him finishing his A levels and then starting his degree.

“After he left college became argumentative some of these arguments arose discussions about needing to maintain a balance between his relationship and looking out for future prospects.

“I was aware he was on and off anti depressants that would cause his mood to go up and down.

“Triggers for his moods included abandonment and isolation.

“There were previous incidents of self harm on two occasions and he thought about ending his life. In June 2017 he took an overdose at university and December 2018, had attempted to drown himself.

“After Christmas he seemed to be okay but looking back that was just Joe putting on a brave front.”

A statement from Health Assured, a wellbeing company which helped Joe said: “On August 8, it was claimed Joe was suicidal. He said he had no friends and family around.

“He has a lack of self confidence and feeling overwhelmed. Joe said he had waves of depression and had these for around six years.”

Holly Nettle, a registered psychiatric nurse at Macclesfield district general hospital said: “Joe had seen his GP and was coming to A&E as he was being flagged as someone with suicidal thoughts.

“Joe told me that he had suicidal thoughts in the past and they had reoccurred in recent weeks.

But he had no current thoughts or intent to act and was actually talking about the future.

“He was quite thoughtful and intelligent and seemed to understand himself quite well.

“I didn’t feel he required an inpatient admission to manage that risk.

“He felt able to keep himself safe at that time.

“The plan was he would go back to his GP and work on self care and engage with the psychiatric services through the health care provision.

“He seemed

like he wanted help and he was actively seeking it. He did feel able to engage in it.”

Recording a conclusion of suicide coroner Peter Sigee: “Whilst I hear very acutely the families concerns I regret I do not consider this is a case which requires a report.

“Those practitioners that were involved will have already reflected upon Joe’s death and continue to do so.

Gary Flockhart, Director of Nursing, Therapies and Patient Partnership at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), said: “Our deepest condolences are with the family at this very difficult time.”