Daughter who thought dad was going to kill himself was told to call back by mental health team

A concerned daughter who phoned a mental health team because she feared her father was going to kill himself was told to call back.

In her closing remarks at an inquest on Tuesday, assistant coroner for Nottinghamshire Miss Amanda Cranny said it was unacceptable that anyone should be asked to call back if it was indicated there was an emergency.

She said it was clear there were problems with the phones in the office and was concerned that unanswered calls did not always divert to a message advising callers to ring the emergency services if they were needed.

The coroner said she had been assured the issue was being investigated.

Miss Cranny said she was satisfied Mr Barry Brown, 61, of Winthorpe Road, Newark, had intended to take his own life.

He was found near Langford Quarry on July 15 last year. He had taken rope from his shed and a stool from his home.

Detective Constable Wendy Brown said a police helicopter helped in a search for Mr Brown and his body was spotted in a wooded area. Attempts were made to revive him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest was told his daughter, Miss Hannah Brown, rang the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust mental health team for Newark and Sherwood after her father called to say he was in distress and feeling suicidal.

She was asked to phone back in half an hour, which she did.

Mental health nurse Mr Declan Cronin said when he received the second call he rang Mr Brown immediately. He answered the call and said he was in his car in the countryside, but would not say where he was.

He said Mr Brown had told him: “It’s too late. I am going to hang myself.”

Mr Cronin asked him to go home so he could meet him.

Mr Cronin rang the police before calling Mr Brown a second time and asking him again to go home. Mr Brown said he would, but the hearing was told he did not do so.

Mr Brown, a former IT college lecturer, had suffered mental health problems for more than 30 years.

The inquest was told he was admitted to the former Saxondale Hospital in 1975 after trying to take his own life with an overdose.

Miss Cranny said there had been other occasions when Mr Brown had tried to take his life. He had spent time in Millbrook Mental Health Unit, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and other institutions.

Consultant psychiatrist Mr Daniel Moldavsky said it was a complex case. Mr Brown had suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder that manifested in voices in his head, Tourette’s and severe headaches.

Miss Cranny said concerns had been raised by his family about whether Mr Brown had been taking his medication.

She said evidence from Mr Moldavsky explained that not taking medication was a common problem for many patients because the side-effects occurred before the benefits.