DOCTORS have admitted mistakes were made in the case of a Bury patient who killed his housemate six months after being discharged from a psychiatric ward.

The results of an inquiry into circumstances surrounding the murder of 30-year-old Liaquat Ali highlighted "significant concerns" about the medical attention given to his killer Simon Rawcliffe.

Mr Ali was battered to death at his bed and breakfast accommodation in Wash Lane in September, 1999.

Rawcliffe, who had previously been a psychiatric patient, was convicted of murder and later transferred from prison to a secure hospital.

Although Rawcliffe had been admitted to north west inpatient units on several occasions since first being assessed by psychiatrists in 1993, his illness was not fully understood by clinical staff.

Findings published on Friday identified poor quality record-keeping and insufficient training as factors.

Chronic under-funding of mental health services at Fairfield by acute care providers Bury Health Care NHS Trust was also blamed.

The document, published by Bury Primary Care Trust, took 18 months to compile and involved interviews with more than 40 members of staff.

Chairman of the inquiry, Dr Peter Snowden, said: "It really helped us to identify how low in the pecking order mental health appeared to be in the previous acute trust in Bury. Crucially, the panel found a lack of a consistent approach to and a poor understanding of the patient's mental illness, leading to a lack of formulation of his care with inappropriate and inadequate risk assessment."

Dr Snowden added: "The value of this process has not been in apportioning blame, but in identifying and driving sustained improvements in mental health services for the people of Bury, which we hope this report will achieve."

The report calls upon the Pennine Care NHS Trust -- which now provides psychiatric hospital care -- to show leadership in dealing with the "unique" legacy it has inherited.

Improved training and supervision is also recommended for Bury Mental Health Services staff, who are responsible for general medical and social support.

Mr John Archer, chief executive of the Pennine Care NHS Trust, said: "It is clear that new arrangements for mental health services are making progress in correcting a number of deficits that were identified in the report.

"We believe that the report can be used to encourage further positive developments within mental health services in Bury and build on the positive relationships that exist between the statutory partner agencies in the borough."