DISCHARGE arrangements at an East Lancashire hospital are expected to be heavily criticised in a damning report into how a mental patient killed his wife and then himself.

The inquiry into the deaths of Michael Horner, 52 and his wife, Hazel, 54, will be officially published next week.

But care in the community campaigners believe the findings will show that the system of discharging patients was "wholly inadequate" and led directly to the murder of Mrs Horner and Mr Horner's suicide.

Mr Horner, who had a history of mental health problems, was discharged from an acute psychiatric ward at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, last March.

The next day he telephoned the hospital to say he had killed his wife.

The Zito Trust, a care in the community campaign group, said there was a delay by the hospital in informing the police.

By the time officers arrived at the house in Highercroft Road, Lower Darwen, Mr Horner had hanged himself. Their daughters, Michelle Wilkins and Lisa Rawlinson, are calling for disciplinary action to be taken by East Lancashire Health Authority against those responsible for the care and treatment of their father.

A spokesman for the Zito Trust said there had been marital disharmony, including physical and verbal abuse by Mr Horner to his wife during their 32-year marriage.,

Mrs Horner had obtained a legal separation from her husband and was preparing to move to alternative accommodation when Mr Horner was discharged.

The spokesman said the preparations were well known to the hospital.

He said the report of the independent inquiry was likely to show that poor record keeping and lack of communication between staff and inadequate risk assessment contributed to the deaths.

He said: "Mr Horner was known to be a suicide risk and held paranoid delusions about his wife. He was suffering from severe mental illness yet his illness was not taken seriously.

"He should never have been discharged back to the family home as he posed a clear risk to his wife and himself."

Hospital staff and health chiefs will respond to the charges when the report is officially published on Wednesday.

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