A PSYCHIATRIC patient in Queens Park Hospital, Blackburn, hanged himself, despite being kept under close observation by staff.

An inquest heard that Lee Martin Hartley, 33, who had a history of self-harm and attempted suicide, had been admitted after slashing his wrists.

While on ward F4 he made a noose out of a bed sheet and was later found repeating the process. He eventually hanged himself from the curtain rail around his bed, using a knotted sheet.

After a jury returned a verdict of accidental death, acting coroner Michael Singleton said any person admitted to a psychiatric ward was vulnerable and could represent a risk to themselves or others and that the assessment of the risk was a clinical judgment.

"It is clear that in this case an initial assessment was made and that was later reviewed in the light of the patient's behaviour," said Mr Singleton. "It does not seem to me that there was nothing in the behaviour or demeanour of Lee Hartley that would have led to the conclusion that he was about to take his own life.

"I have no doubt that the health trust will review its procedures, but it would be wrong for me to stray into the area of clinical judgments and, in those circumstances, I make no formal recommendations."

The inquest heard how Mr Hartley, a snooker coach, of the Galleries, Nelson, was a drug addict who had managed to stay clear of drugs and alcohol for three months before his death.

His sister, Tracey Rigby, of Rushton Street, Barrowford, said he had been frightened of certain drug dealers who had beaten him up in the past and threatened his life as a result of his co-operation with the police.

Mrs Rigby said her brother had tried to take his own life previously and on one occasion jumped out of a window when working in Belgium. She said he had overdosed twice on medication and once on heroin.

Doctors and nursing staff told the inquest how Mr Hartley had been admitted after slashing his wrists.

He had initially been under half hourly observations, but this was changed to every five minutes when staff nurse Victoria Brown became concerned.

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