‘Harsh’ action of hospital staff blamed

THE family of a man who took his own life at a house in Newton Abbot say they hope lessons can be learned from his death after what they describe as “harsh” treatment at the hands of healthcare staff.

John Hall, who was an 87-year-old retired engineer, jumped from a first floor window and died of multiple injuries. An inquest in Torquay was told his family felt his death was “preventable”.

One family member said: “We don’t believe he had the full support of the system.

“I don’t believe that the psychiatric team at Torbay Hospital assessed the situation correctly and did not prescribe the correct level of care. The crisis team were not diligent enough in their assessment of his condition. We feel that he could have been identified as being a little bit more at risk than he was. If there was another situation like this, we hope it could be handled differently.”

Torbay and South Devon Coroner Ian Arrow, who recorded the fact that Mr Hall had taken his own life, agreed to share the family’s concerns with healthcare providers the Devon Partnership Trust.

The inquest heard that Mr Hall died on May 21. He had been treated for depression following his wife’s death but was otherwise a healthy man.

Detective Sergeant Andy Turner told the hearing: “Mr Hall was an individual who had been suffering from depression for a considerable amount of time after the loss of his wife. There had been a number of times when he had considered suicide.”