Mental health unit 'failed' man who took own life

The father of a man who took his own life said the mental health unit where he was staying "failed him completely".

Joshua Sahota, 25, died as a result of asphyxia and psychosis at the Wedgewood Unit in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 9 September 2019.

Insufficient staffing levels at the unit contributed to his death, an inquest jury found.

Mr Sahota, from Kennett in Cambridgeshire, was taken to the unit three weeks before his death as his mental health had declined.

There was no psychologist in post and the jury at Suffolk Coroner's Court recorded this as having contributed to his death.

It also found that a plastic bag which contributed to his death was on a restricted items list, but this was "unclear" and there were "inconsistencies of understanding this" by staff and visitors.

Other factors that the jury said contributed to his death included insufficient observations and one-to-one processes, no clear and concise risk assessments, being slow to develop a care plan and the absence of a documented crisis plan.

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Source: BBC News, 10 September 2021