THERE are many lessons to be learned from the tragic death of John Baxendale. Despite being admitted to Blackburn Royal Infirmary's accident and emergency ward after an apparent suicide attempt, the 54-year-old hanged himself from the cord of a wall-mounted heater after he had been placed in a room.

At his inquest it was revealed that nursing staff had made "periodic" checks on the plumber. A lack of department resources meant he could not be checked on more often.

Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley coroner Michael Singleton is right to raise concerns. He has called for guidelines to be drawn up on how to deal with suicidal patients admitted to A and E departments.

In the inquest he outlined proposals to draw the attention to hospital bosses, inviting them to set out in writing a protocol of how to deal with similar incidents in the future.

And he plans to send a report to the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, highlighting the lack of resources, which ultimately contributed to this tragedy.

For its part, Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust has pledged that steps have already been put in place since Mr Baxendale's death, in May last year. And bosses have promised that an official 'protocol' will be formalised later this year.

Families whose relatives may be admitted for depression can take heart from this stance by hospital bosses, but for the family of John Baxendale it is too late.

For them, nothing can bring him back.