A CORONER has criticised health bosses after a depressed man committed suicide in a hospital's accident and emergency ward after discovering his wife was having an affair.

Michael Singleton has called for guidelines to be drawn up on how to deal with suicidal patients admitted to A and E hospital departments after 54-year-old father John Baxendale hanged himself after being left alone in a room at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Today the NHS Trust confirmed that some steps have already been taken since the incident and that a 'protocol' will be formalised later this year.

Mr Baxendale, of First Avenue, Church, was found by A and E staff hanging from the cord of a wall mounted heater in May this year after he had been put into a room.

Nursing staff said he had been checked "periodically" but the department had a lack of resources and it had been a busy night.

Mr Baxendale had earlier been admitted to hospital after taking 41 Anadin Extra tablets following a separation from his wife of 18 years.

At an inquest at Hyndburn Magistrates' Court, Coroner Michael Singleton said: "I am concerned with the lack of any protocol by the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS Trust to deal with people admitted to A and E where there is clearly a significant risk of self harm.

"I am further concerned but perhaps not surprised to hear that one of the problems with the department relates to a lack of resources. I propose to draw these matters to the attention of the trust and invite them to set out in writing a protocol." He said he would also send a report to the Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn highlighting the lack of resources.

The inquest heard Mr Baxendale, a plumber, had marriage problems and that he and his wife Gwen had agreed to separate.

He had earlier been prescribed anti-depressants by his GP and told to return a fortnight later but that did not happen.

Mr Baxendale's friend John Lynn told the inquest that Mrs Baxendale had been having an affair with a member of staff at the club they all visited.

He said: "As far as he was concerned his marriage was over and he said his life was over then too."

The inquest heard that Mr Baxendale's first wife had left him following an affair with his best friend and he felt history was repeating itself. Other friends and family members also told how he had made threats to kill himself in the hours before his death but said they had not taken them seriously as he doted on his 14-year-old son, Shane, and was not the sort of person to act that way.

After a night out drinking with Mr Lynn, Mr Baxendale telephoned his wife and told her that he would kill himself. When he called a second time, she alerted his brother-in-law, Derek Knight, who went to look for him.

Mr Knight told the inquest he found his brother at home and that he was 'an emotional wreck'. He said he found a number of Anadin wrappers in the bin and telephoned for an ambulance.

Mr Baxendale was admitted to hospital at 2.51am on Sunday May 26. Sister Joanne Ghooran said blood tests were to be taken from him at 4.30am and the results would determine whether he would be admitted to a ward or the on-call psychiatrist called to see him in A and E.

Dr Rachel Hart, who was also on duty, said: "Unfortunately there is no protocol that I am aware of for dealing with circumstances such as this."

Another nurse, Wendy Harrison, said: "At the time we had a number of other patients in similar circumstances and other serious incidents.

"People are observed as much as is humanly possible but there is a lack of resources."

Mr Baxendale was taken to a room and checked on periodically by staff as they passed his room.

But at 6.10am when Dr Hart went to tell him his results she discovered the door to the room was closed and found Mr Baxendale suspended with the cord of an electric fan heater.

A post mortem examination confirmed that Mr Baxendale died from hanging and a verdict of suicide was recorded.